The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for greater support for people experiencing mental health challenges and improved access to safe, quality healthcare. The call was made on Wednesday in Maseru during the commemoration of World Mental Health Day and World Patient Safety Day, which highlighted the importance of listening to people with lived experiences and ensuring safe care for patients with non-communicable diseases.

Minister of Health Mrs. Mamokete Nts’ekhe urged people to stop judging others based on their appearance or behaviour, saying everyone deserves respect and acceptance.

She said the experiences shared by people who had faced mental health challenges were a reminder of the importance of compassion and understanding. The minister praised those who spoke openly about their experiences, describing their willingness to share their stories as an act of bravery and courage. She noted that some people who experience mental health challenges do not survive, making it important to listen to and learn from those who share their experiences.

Mrs. Nts’ekhe said the two commemorations highlighted a shared responsibility to protect people;s lives, health, safety and dignity. This year;s World Patient Safety Day theme focused on safe care for non-communicable diseases under the slogan Safe Care for Life, while World Mental Health Day carried the theme Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change. She said both themes reinforced the principle that everyone deserves safe, quality, compassionate and respectful healthcare, and that every voice deserves to be heard.

Mrs. Ntsekhe also highlighted the burden of non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. She said these conditions often require long-term care, regular monitoring, appropriate medication, lifestyle support and continued communication between patients and healthcare providers.

Meanwhile, WHO representative Dr. Sirak Hailu, who delivered a statement on behalf of Dr Nusantino Aghira, called for the experiences shared by people living with mental health challenges to be documented and made accessible to the public.