New Delhi, September 6 (IANS): Member countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region on Tuesday adopted the Paro Declaration committing to universal access to people-centred mental health care and services to promote mental health in the region.
The Paro Declaration urges member countries to develop and implement multisectoral policies to address mental health risks. The declaration was adopted at the Ministerial Roundtable on Addressing Mental Health through Primary Care and Community Engagement on Day 2 of the ongoing 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Paro, Bhutan.
Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed member states at the round table. “We have launched a telemental health program run by trained counselors across the country to ensure continuity of care and improved referral services and hospitals, including the creation of 25 Centers of Excellence for mental health,” said Pawar.
“There is no health without mental health. Increasing investments in mental health, including prevention and promotion services at the primary care level, reduces treatment costs and increases productivity, employment and quality of life,” said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.
Speaking of the declaration, he said that it urges member countries to develop and implement multisectoral policies throughout the life cycle to address mental health risks and reduce treatment gaps exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that mental health services reach all those. needy, close to where they live, without economic hardship.
As part of the Declaration, member countries also agreed to develop country-specific goals to achieve universal primary care-oriented mental health services and mainstream mental health into policy planning, implementation and evaluation.
The Strike Declaration also calls for increased funding for community mental health networks and the continued supply of medication and rehabilitation, including occupational therapy for all who need it, and strengthening data collection and reporting to ensure consistent context-sensitive improvement of mental health systems.
