Butabika Hospital, Uganda’s main mental referral facility, has revealed a sharp rise in cases of mental illness, warning that the country is facing a growing mental health crisis.
The 2025 State of Uganda Population Report indicates that one in every four Ugandans is affected by a mental health condition.
Speaking at the launch of the report at the Uganda Media Centre, Dr. Juliet Nakku, executive director of Butabika Hospital, called for urgent government intervention, saying the facility is overwhelmed and running out of space for patients.
Dr Nakku said Butabika is constrained by limited infrastructure and a shortage of mental health professionals.
The hospital officially has a bed capacity of 550, but it currently handles between 1,000 and 1,300 in-patients at any given time. The facility also serves about 350 outpatients daily.
She stressed the need to prioritise recruitment of more mental health doctors and to equip regional hospitals to handle psychiatric cases.
“We must prioritise as a country the increasing number of mental health cases by training and deploying more specialists and equipping regional hospitals with mental health services,” she said.
Dr. Nakku cited unemployed youth and people living in poverty as groups requiring special attention, including counselling and social support. She added that excessive use of alcohol and drugs remains a leading cause of mental illness.
The report indicates that Uganda’s population currently stands at 45.9 million.
Dr Pamela Kasabiiti Mbabazi, chairperson of the National Planning Authority (NPA), said the economy cannot grow when a significant portion of the population is struggling with mental health challenges.
She noted that many people are affected in one way or another, with youth who feel disengaged and women experiencing gender based and domestic violence among those most at risk.
Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the minister of Health, acknowledged that mental health remains a major public health concern requiring urgent attention. She said human capital development cannot be achieved if mental health challenges persist.
Dr Aceng noted that Uganda registers about 1.5 million births each year, contributing to rapid population growth. She added that 75% of the population is youth, many of whom face unemployment, a factor that increases vulnerability to mental health problems.
She revealed that mental health currently receives only 3% percent of the national health budget and said Uganda requires at least 5,300 mental health workers nationwide to effectively address the problem.
