Luvindao tables mental health bill

Minister of health and social services Esperance Luvindao on Tuesday tabled a mental health bill in the National Assembly, seeking to repeal and replace the existing Mental Health Act of 1973. Namibia continues to battle severe mental health challenges, with over 100 000 recorded mental health-related cases and more than 540 suicides during the 2024/25 financial year. During the tabling, Luvindao said the new bill offers a more advanced and progressive roadmap for mental healthcare in Namibia. She said the current Mental Health Act does not reflect the country’s democratic values and commitments, and focuses too narrowly on institutionalisation and control. The bill comprises 11 parts that cover vital areas, including introductory provisions, essential principles of mental healthcare, rights and duties relating to patients, voluntary, assisted and involuntary care, review boards, appeals, judicial review and periodic assessments, forensic mental health patients, inmates and offenders with mental health conditions, care and administration of property, offences and penalties, and general provisions. “It provides a modern, comprehensive and human rights-based framework for mental healthcare and services in our country,” she said. Luvindao further said the bill aligns with the Constitution, and it gives effect to the country’s commitment to inclusive development. The minister emphasised that the new legal instrument, once passed, would ensure mental healthcare services are accessible to all Namibians, with a strong focus on community-based care, rehabilitation, and reintegration. “This bill represents a paradigm shift from the past approach of control and confinement towards a rights-based, patient-centred, and community-oriented system of mental healthcare,” she said. Luvindao concluded by urging members of parliament to support the bill and unite in advancing the well-being of all Namibians. “I therefore appeal to all members to support the mental health bill of 2025. Let us stand together in advancing the rights and well-being of our people, and enshrine in law a framework that will serve present and future generations,” she said.