By Morna Ikosa
The efforts by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in tabling the 2025 Mental Health Bill have been commendable and have led to a landmark step to enshrine dignity, autonomy, and human rights in mental health care in Namibia.
However, the proposed Bill does not explicitly address maternal mental health, including pre- and postnatal depression.
This omission risks leaving thousands of Namibian mothers without adequate support, despite global evidence that postnatal depression is a leading cause of maternal illnesses.
Although the bill promises sweeping reforms from community-based care to forensic mental health oversight. Yet, amid its 81 sections and progressive language, one glaring omission remains that of maternal mental health.
There is no mention of pre or postnatal depression. No reference to pregnancy-related mental health conditions and no recognition of the unique vulnerabilities faced by mothers navigating the emotional terrain of childbirth, trauma, and societal pressure.
One might ask, why not just include postnatal depression amongst the other depressions. Well, Postnatal depression is not just another mental illness. It is a gender-specific, time-bound condition with unique social and medical implications. By naming it explicitly, the Bill will ensure visibility, targeted screening, and tailored interventions.
Moreover, Namibia continues to grapple with high rates of baby dumping, a heartbreaking symptom of deeper systemic failures.
While poverty, absent fathers, stigma, and lack of financial support play a role, undiagnosed and untreated postnatal depression is a critical driver towards negative maternal health. Studies across Africa have shown that mothers experiencing severe mental distress often feel isolated, ashamed, and overwhelmed, leading to desperate and deadly decisions.
By failing to name maternal mental health in the Bill, Namibia faces the risk of perpetuating a cycle where mothers suffer in silence, and infants are abandoned in desperation.
Although the Mental Health Bill already provides a framework for voluntary, assisted, and involuntary care. With strategic amendments it could become a powerful tool to prevent baby dumping and support maternal wellbeing. I thus would like to recommend the following inclusion to strengthen the Bill:
To explicitly include definitions of maternal mental health and postnatal depression as recognised mental health conditions. To mandate routine screening and mental health assessments during antenatal and postnatal care. To expand section 7 of the Bill to include maternal outreach, peer support, and home-based care.
To train frontline workers and equip nurses, midwives, community workers, and social workers to identify and respond to maternal mental health needs in all Namibian languages. To collect data and track maternal mental health outcomes to inform policy and resource allocations.
To amend the Bill to recognise postnatal depression as a diagnosable mental health condition that may impair judgment and decision-making. To ensure that psychiatric assessments for offenders include screening for maternal mental health conditions, especially in cases involving infants.
Under Section 69 of the Bill (Examination of patient in connection with prosecution), include a requirement for mental health evaluations for women charged with baby dumping or infanticide. To ensure that assessments are conducted by qualified psychiatrists/ psychologists with expertise in maternal mental health. Moreover, to introduce provisions for mental health diversion programs, allowing courts to refer mothers to treatment facilities or community-based care instead of prison.
Furthermore, to align with restorative justice principles, especially for first-time offenders with clear evidence of mental illness. Under Section 48 (Mental health care of inmate or offender), mandate the creation of maternal mental health units within correctional facilities. These units should offer trauma-informed care, counselling, and rehabilitation tailored to mothers.
Namibia has the opportunity to lead not just in mental health reform, but in gender-sensitive, rights-based care. By naming maternal mental health in law, we validate the lived experiences of thousands of women. We signal that their pain is real, and their healing is possible. Lastly, Namibia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We must thus ensure that women with mental health conditions including postnatal depression are treated with dignity, not punished.
*Morna Ikosa is a columnist with a passion for wellness, mental health, communication and sustainable development matters. The views expressed in this article are solely hers. She can be reached at micommunicationscc@gmail.com
