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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
As African countries continue to strengthen their health security systems following the COVID 19 pandemic, a public health systems expert, Faremi Ayodeji has called for urgent integration of mental health resilience into laboratory systems and disease preparedness frameworks.
Ayodeji, who serves as an In-country Quality Management Systems Auditor under the Global Fund RSSH GC7 and C19RM grants, said that while technical improvements across the continent had been commendable, the psychological wellbeing of the health workforce remains insufficiently addressed.
“Over the past decades, we have made major progress in strengthening laboratory infrastructure, improving accreditation readiness and expanding disease surveillance networks,” he said.
“However, we must now confront an overlooked reality. Burnout, leadership fatigue and mental strain within our health workforce are growing concerns that directly affect system performance,” he added.
According to him, Africa’s post pandemic recovery requires more than rebuilding structures. It requires rebuilding people.
He explained that laboratory professionals, outbreak responders and programme managers often operate under sustained pressure with limited psychosocial support systems in place.
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“Technical systems are important, but they are powered by human beings. If we want resilient health systems, mental resilience must be institutionalised rather than treated as a personal coping responsibility,” Ayodeji stated.
Drawing from his experience mentoring laboratory teams across Nigeria and other West African countries, he emphasised the direct relationship between workforce morale and measurable quality outcomes.
His words: “When teams feel supported, quality indicators improve, sustainability improves and accountability improves. We cannot separate workforce wellbeing from system performance.
“As Africa advances its health security agenda, mental health must move from the margins to the centre of policy design,” he said. “We cannot continue to invest in infrastructure without equally investing in the resilience of the people who sustain that infrastructure.”
“The future of our laboratories and public health institutions will not only be determined by funding and technology. It will be determined by how well we protect and empower the professionals who hold our systems together.”
He further urged continental institutions, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, to embed mental health considerations into broader health systems strengthening strategies.
He concluded that the next phase of Africa’s health security evolution must recognise that sustainable preparedness depends on both technical excellence and emotionally resilient leadership.
