…Sets new mental health target for 2030
By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
As a new World Health Organization, WHO Atlas Report has shown low investment on mental health budget globally ,the health body has called on countries to step up their budget investment on mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghabreyesus called on countries to increase their investment on mental health.
Ghabreyesus said, “It is extremely concerning that, despite the evident and increasing need for mental health services, which has become even more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, good intentions are not being met with investment.”
“We must heed and act on this wake-up call and dramatically accelerate the scale-up of investment in mental health, because there is no health without mental health.”
He noted, “In 2020, just 51% of WHO’s 194 Member States reported that their mental health policy or plan was in line with international and regional human rights instruments, way short of the 80% target.”
The Atlas report showed that only 52% of countries met the target relating to mental health promotion and prevention programmes, while the 2020 target met was a reduction in the rate of suicide by 10%, by only 35 countries had a stand-alone prevention strategy, policy or plan.
Also the report showed that only 2% of government health budgets was spent on mental health in the last years.
WHO said that only 25% of responding countries met all the criteria for integration of mental health into primary care. While progress has been made in training and supervision in most countries, the supply of medicines for mental health conditions and psychosocial care in primary health-care services remains limited.
Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at WHO said, ” the new data from Atlas shows us that we still have a very long way to go in making sure that everyone, everywhere has access to quality health care
Meanwhile WHO has we extended mental health targets from 2020 to 2030 which includes new targets for the inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support in emergency preparedness plans, the integration of mental health into primary health care, and research on mental health.
