Globally, nearly 1 in 10 people have a mental health problem (representational)
New Delhi:
The vast social and economic impact of COVID-19 highlights the critical need for all countries in the Southeast Asia region to increase investments in sustainable and quality mental health care, said the WHO Saturday on World Mental Health Day.
Four in five people in the region who need mental health services do not have access to them. The region also has the lowest number of mental health workers per capita, said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for Southeast Asia.
Given the immense social and economic impact of the coronavirus, countries and partners must act with “ speed and scale ” to secure and allocate the necessary funds, as the campaign theme for World Human Rights Day emphasizes. This Year’s Mental Health – Move for Mental Health: Let’s Invest, she says.
Globally, nearly one in 10 people suffer from a mental health problem. Depression is one of the main causes of disability.
It is estimated that 3 million people die each year from harmful alcohol use. A suicide occurs every 40 seconds. Most mental health problems can be treated effectively at relatively low cost, the official noted.
And yet, more than a quarter of the world‘s population lives in a country where there is less than one psychiatrist for every million people.
“The vast social and economic impact of COVID-19 highlights the critical need for all countries in the region to invest in quality mental health care, which must be part of an overall increase in health spending “Ms. Singh said.
Mental health services across the region, including access to psychiatric medicines, have experienced significant disruption in recent months, which WHO has helped Member States overcome through innovative service delivery models such as than telemedicine and home deliveries, she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to strengthen the capacity of health workers to detect, manage and treat mental health issues through virtual trainings and webinars, and will continue to facilitate the identification of best practices that can be adapted and implemented on a large scale, especially at community level.
The region’s recently adopted Ministerial Declaration for a Collective Response to COVID-19 underscores the continuing need for countries to maintain essential health services.
To avoid burnout, minimize stress, and improve the mental well-being of health workers, facility managers should balance work hours appropriately and move workers from more stressful to less stressful roles. Personal protective equipment should be readily available to all, said the WHO regional director for Southeast Asia.
Directors need to ensure that financial resources are available to call in additional staff and pay for overtime and sick leave, she said.
“Leaders in all sectors must continue to apply a zero tolerance approach to social stigma, verbal assault and violence directed at health workers, and must continue to celebrate and support health workers,” said noted Ms. Singh.
WHO will continue to provide full support to countries and partners in the region to strengthen the provision of needs-appropriate and culturally sensitive mental health care and treatment throughout the COVID-19 response and in the recovery and development. -beyond, in accordance with its strategy preparedness and response plan, the flagship priorities of the Region, the targets of the “triple billion” of the WHO and the sustainable development goal 3, added the official.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
