Telemedicine Platforms and Mental Health Care Accessibility in Kano, Nigeria: An Initial Assessment

Telemedicine platforms have emerged as a promising solution to improve mental health care accessibility in underserved regions, including Nigeria. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews. The sample included 200 participants who provided feedback on their experience using telemedicine platforms. The preliminary findings indicate that while there is significant interest in the use of telemedicine platforms for mental health care (85% of respondents expressed willingness to use such services), technical issues and internet connectivity remain barriers, affecting service efficacy and accessibility. Despite challenges, the initial assessment suggests potential benefits for expanding telemedicine platforms as a means of enhancing mental health care access in Kano, Nigeria. Further research should focus on developing robust infrastructure to enhance platform reliability and affordability. Government support is also recommended to ensure equitable service distribution across socio-economic strata. Telemedicine, Mental Health Care, Accessibility, Kano, Nigeria Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.