Mental Health Review Board Members’ Perceptions Regarding Implementation of the Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2002: A Qualitative Study

Introduction The Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2002, referred to hereafter as the Act, is being implemented with significant difficulty in the majority of provinces of the Republic of South Africa. Effective Mental Health Review Boards (MHRBs) are essential to ensuring the Act is implemented efficiently. However, the majority of MHRBs in South Africa are dysfunctional, and some provinces lack them. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of MHRB members regarding the implementation of the Act in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa (SA). Methods A qualitative-exploratory-descriptive and contextual research design was used to explore and describe the perceptions of MHRB members regarding implementation of the Act. Since there were only a few MHRB members in NWP, SA, a single Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted with 6 MHRB members from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health subdirectorate of the North West Department of Health. Maguire and Delahunt’s six steps of thematic analysis were used to analyse data. Results Two themes emerged from this study: factors contributing to poor implementation of the Act and strategies to improve its implementation. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight a critical disconnection between the legislative mandate and the capacity of the existing health system. The study suggests that without addressing systemic resource deficits and strengthening the structural independence of the MHRB, effective implementation of the Act and the protection of the rights of mental health service users will remain unattainable.