02427nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001100054653001500065653001500080653001800095653004100113653001600154653001800170653002700188653003400215100001200249700001200261700001100273700001400284245017000298856006700468300002000535490000700555520156100562022001402123       2021                            d  c01/202110aAfrica10aSouth Asia10agovernance10ahealth system10aintegrated primary mental healthcare10aIntegration10amental health10amental health services10aqualitative systematic review1 aRahim A1 aManaf R1 aJuni M1 aIbrahim N00aHealth System Governance for the Integration of Mental Health Services into Primary Health Care in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia Region: A Systematic Review.  uhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00469580211028579  a4695802110285790 v583 a<p>Governance has been highlighted as an important building block underpinning the process of mental health integration into primary healthcare. This qualitative systematic review aims to identify the governance issues faced by countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia Region in the implementation of integrated primary mental healthcare. PRISMA guideline was used to conduct a systematic search of relevant studies from 4 online databases that were filtered according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Qualitative Checklist, a quality appraisal of the selected articles was performed. By drawing upon institutional theory, data was extracted based on a pre-constructed matrix. The CERQual approach synthesized evidence and rank confidence level as low, moderate or high for 5 key findings. From 567 references identified, a total of 8 studies were included. Respondents were policymakers or implementers involved in integrated primary mental healthcare from the national, state, and district level. Overall, the main governance issues identified were a lack of leadership and mental health prioritization; inadequate financing and human resource capacity; and negative mental health perceptions/attitudes. The implication of the findings is that such issues must be addressed for long-term health system performance. This can also improve policymaking for better integration of primary mental health services into the health systems of countries in the Sub-Saharan and South Asia region.</p>  a1945-7243