By Bonginkosi Zondi and Ncamsile Mtshali
The KZN Mental Health Advocacy Group held its annual mental health walk last weekend. More than 1 000 people gathered at the North Beach Amphitheatre, opposite Elangeni Hotel, to participate in the 9th Annual KZN Mental Health Advocacy Walk.
KZN Mental Health Advocacy Walk has been happening every year since its introduction in 2016 by Suntosh Pillay and Professor Suvira Ramlall. Both have been in the public mental health sector for many years.
Pillay said that the key objective of the initiative is to raise awareness about mental health and looking back from when it started, they have seen an improvement.
“This is a mental health walk to raise awareness about mental health, mental illness and psychosocial services that are in KwaZulu-Natal. We have been running the walk at the North Beach Amphitheatre for the past nine years. It has grown into one of the biggest walks in the province. We had 1 500 people this year who registered for the walk.”
Pillay added that 30 companies participated in this year’s walk and after the event, they aim to encourage everyone to take mental health seriously.
He said: “There are over 30 organisations here like Joint Medical Holdings Private Services, South African National Blood Services and KZN Department of Health to share knowledge with people. If people know what services are available, then it will be easy for them when they need help.”
He added: “We want politicians, the government and everyone to realise that mental health is important. We cannot have one or two psychologists in a hospital. There must be improvement even in other mental health platforms.”
Jabulani Cele, a Foundation for Professional Development representative, said he believes that mental health should be a universal concern.
“Our company supports the government, NGOs and other institutions to improve because our findings revealed that only 10% of the people have access to mental health, while one in four need professional help. Everyone should talk about mental health as it concerns everybody, so the walk creates that hype to see that you are not alone in any situation.”
ITheku Wellness Hospital’s psychiatrist, Dr Vijaylyn Moodley, expressed her support for the event.
“There is definitely a need for mental health walks and many people are afraid to come forward, because they worry about what others will think, so this event will tell people that mental health matters and it is okay to not be well mentally.”
Master athlete Blanche Moila (69) took part in the walk. She said that age should not stop one from participating in health issues.
“People still shy away from seeking mental treatment. I am 69 years old and I have run 20 Comrades marathons and anybody can do it. I am going to do the Cape Town Marathon in two weeks’ time and I will go to schools to engage the youth to take part in some form of sports.”
Another participant, Nomsi Mthembu, took the walk as a form of physical exercise and stress reliever. “We took this walk to boost our health and to reduce stress. Being around people makes you think differently and positively. I would advise people to participate in such walks because they help physically and mentally.”
