Rising child mental health cases strain Butabika hospital
There is a growing number of children experiencing mental health challenges, placing immense pressure on Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. In the hospital, the children’s ward has only 30 beds, which are constantly full. Additionally, the weekly child and adolescent outpatient clinic sees over 150 young patients, many of them school-going children struggling with emotional issues, suicidal thoughts, and other psychiatric conditions. Dr. Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director of Butabika Hospital, says one risk factor is the pressure placed on children by poorly designed academic programs that do not allow children time to rest.
