Military officers’ wives to establish world-class PTSD centre in Abuja

Military officers’ wives to establish world-class PTSD centre in Abuja

AREWA AGENDA – The Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) is to establish an ultramodern Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) facility to cater for members of the armed forces.

The President of DEPOWA and wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs Vickie Irabor, said this while briefing newsmen in Tuesday in Abuja.

PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event experienced or witnessed with symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Irabor said the association had over the years, noted the physical, mental and psychological challenges faced by personnel of the armed forces while securing the nation.

She said that while there are regular hospitals to take care of physical injuries sustained by personnel on the frontline, there remained a huge gap in mental health responses globally, including Nigeria.

According to her, the gap is more noticeable in the treatment, management, and rehabilitation of PTSD for troops dealing with very traumatic conditions on the frontlines.

“DEPOWA is therefore embarking on the setting up of a novel, fully equipped, and World class PTSD Diagnostic, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research Centre at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.

“This project has secured relevant stakeholder buy-in and will continue to require more stakeholder engagement to serve the communities intended.

“With the full support of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, and other stakeholders, the centre will help to evaluate, counsel and provide adequate support to personnel and by extension, their families before reintegration from conflict zones.

“This facility will also serve as a repository for research on mental health challenges in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“The project when completed, with Phase one proposed to be commissioned by April 2023, will ultimately enhance national, regional, and global stability.

“It will as well help boost military capability thereby contributing to the worldwide fight against terrorism.

“We also believe that establishing this facility will be a step towards ensuring the stability of military families,’’ she said.

Mrs Irabor said that DEPOWA realised that the establishment of PTSD centre would also help to support the women, personnel and vulnerable groups impacted by the ongoing war against insurgency.

She said the personnel that had been deployed to the frontlines had suffered physical injuries and suppressed emotional trauma, built from experiences in the field.

According to her, these experiences going unchecked have led to damning consequences in the military community.

The DEPOWA president solicited for sensitization by the government and relevant stakeholders on mental health acceptance, PTSD treatment and anti-stigmatisation, to enable personnel submit to specialist care.

She also called on all Nigerians, private sector, NGOs, development partners and stakeholders to join DEPOWA in its campaign to actualise the dream of an Armed Forces PTSD Centre.

“Consequently, we the wives of our gallant soldiers have decided not to sit and watch but mobilize timely intervention towards reducing the impact of such trauma on our personnel.

“We have advocated for the establishment of an Armed Forces PTSD Centre for Diagnosis, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research in Nigeria.

“It is our desire to have a reintegration structure for our husbands that ensures they return to us in good health and total wellness.

“We have therefore invited you here today, to join us as partners in this very important project, to boost the morale of our troops on the frontlines by saying ‘thank you to them for all the sacrifices in the defence of our fatherland.

(NAN)