**9. Advocating for primary health care for mental disorders**

Traditionally, substance use services have not been provided by South African primary health care facilities, which has led to chronic limiting of access to treatment for people who use such services. A lack of mental health workers has slowed plans to integrate these services into the primary health care system [37]. However, careful consideration of how service delivery for mental disorders can be obtained for the majority, confirms the PHC model as being ideal for the prevention and management of mental disorders. Moreover, the low cost and increased access are advantageous for services at this level.

#### **9.1 The cost**

Primary health care services are offered at a lower cost, which is important for resource- constrained country like South Africa. This low cost can therefore enable more people to access mental health services. Institutionalization model of mental health services is much more costly, even for well-resourced countries like the USA, compared to primary health [38].

#### **9.2 Improved accessibility of services**

By its nature, PHC services are designed to be accessed by the majority of citizens, and resourcing and integrating extending such services to mental health will contribute to the improvement in treatment outcomes for the patients who need such services. That is why the need for interdisciplinary models of primary healthcare is likely to improve accessibility and quality of care for the broader population [39].
