Mental health and well-being to be promoted under Ministry’s plan
Healthcare services in Qatar have been regarded as the one of the best across the globe as proven by a number of world rankings.
In a bid to further enhance healthcare delivery in the country, the Ministry of Public Health has chalked out a new plan, in accordance with the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022 that aims to promote mental health and wellbeing and improve access to its related services.
The Ministry has announced a national target to ensure 40% of mental health services are offered in the primary and community settings by 2022, reported Qatar Tribune.
Ministry of Public Health set out a plan to promote Mental Health and well-being and improve access to mental health services, with a national target that ensures that 40 percent of services are offered in the primary and community settings by 2022 #QNA pic.twitter.com/3u2WHQ1Yz6
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) April 10, 2019
In its implementation stage as of now, the program aims to increase awareness about mental health with an ambition to reduce stigma.
This will be achieved through conducting national surveys on mental health attitudes and awareness, delivering training programs on children’s mental health for families, health professionals, and education providers, as well as developing educational and public awareness drug prevention campaigns.
The Ministry also hopes to improve access to integrated mental health services in primary and community settings, under the endeavor with a particular focus on enabling people to access services in mainstream health facilities, reported Gulf Times.
“There is much to do to change attitudes and ensure that the negative views of mental illness are replaced by a much greater understanding about the importance of mental health and well-being,” said Iain Tulley, national lead for the Mental Health and Wellbeing NHS 2018-2022 priority population.
The number of people experiencing mental health issues across the world is on the rise. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people will suffer from some kind of mental illness at some point in their lives.
In Qatar, a recent study of visitors to Primary Health Care Centers, showed that the percentage adults who suffered from at least one type of mental disorder is in line with the international percentage.
The Ministry with the support of Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary HealthCare Corporation and Naufar, among others from the health sector have collaborated to devise this robust plan for the priority population.
The plan is being carried out in coherence with Mental Health Law, which was enacted in 2016. The law safeguards the rights of people with mental illness and those of their family and will be overseen by an independent authority that will monitor the implementation of the law, according to The Peninsula.
The health sector professionals will be provided specialized training to facilitate the implementation of the plan, ensuring consistency of service provision to achieve desired outcomes for those accessing mental health services.
In addition, the plan will also allow healthcare professionals to better understand the prevalence of mental health conditions within the country so further services can be developed according to the different needs found among the population.
The NHS 2018-2022 is one of eight different sector strategies, under the National Development Strategy 2018-2022 which supports the Qatar National Vision 2030 of “Improving the health of Qatar’s population, through an integrated healthcare system, managed according to world-class standards, designed to meet the needs of existing and future generations.”
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