The African Institute of Ending Bullying, Depression and Suicide (AFRIBS) is set to launch an online application meant to connect medical practitioners with patients suffering from various mental health conditions.
The mobile application called 2care will be launched by the end of June.
In an interview with CITE, AFRIBS founder and director Zenani Masuku said the app will go a long way in helping people to access mental health-related resources.
“The application is aimed at bringing professionals from various Southern African countries in one platform where mental health specialists will offer their services at an affordable fee,” Masuku said.
“Individuals, couples and corporates will be able to access information on self-care and other mental health related resources.”
She said the application will ensure convenience in accessing health services.
“The application tackles the issue of accessibility in terms of distance, transport and waiting list. Many people want to contact mental health specialists but never know where to find them or fear being seen going to institutions or mental health services platforms.
“So, we are filling that gap of accessibility and privacy. Another thing we noticed is that we have a lot of people who like to vent on social media platforms but get a backlash from it and stigma follows them hence this app helps people vent anonymously without judgement,” she said.
Masuku added that the application will also help people dealing with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)and require therapy.
“We also have people struggling with STDs and need therapy and are afraid of getting counselling in public places so we are trying to solve that problem by giving them the confidence to access help,” said Masuku.
She said they also hope that the 2care application will also help students in the diaspora who are struggling with mental health issues.
“As AFRIBS we hope to see this application assisting various people in different geographic locations. Our target will also be Zimbabweans in the diaspora particularly students struggling with mental health issues,” said Masuku.
“Another thing, a lot of couples want to portray a perfect relationship so when things don’t go well, they find it embarrassing to be seen going for couple therapy so with this application they will be able to access services without people knowing.
Masuku said the application fulfils one of their organisational goals of helping everyone access mental health services.
“We believe that as we continue thinking outside the box and finding new ways to help everyone who is in need of quality and accessible mental health services, we progress in fulfilling our organizational objectives. We urge the public to follow us on social media and wait for the application to be launched in the next coming weeks,” she said.
