Although no public data exists yet in Uganda on the extent of the pandemic’s impact on mental health, some doctors report an increasing number of patients treated for mental illness following the onset of COVID-19 in the country.

In Uganda, like most African countries, mental healthcare was already weak before the epidemic. The country has only 47 psychiatrics, most of whom are based in Kampala, for a population of 42 million. Mental health services are mainly concentrated around the capital city. Furthermore, mental health units at the regional referral hospitals have been turned into isolation and treatment centres for COVID-19. It is this gap that Africa Retreat Center is focused on bridging.

Mental illness and Substance Use Disorders (Addiction) do not only affect the sufferer. Usually the family and those closely associated with the patient experience severe emotional, physical, financial, and other problems as a result of an individual’s problem.