Almost one billion folks globally dwell with psychological well being circumstances of which roughly 260 million folks dwell within the WHO South-East Asia Region. Inadequate funding in psychological well being providers and the well being workforce have resulted in giant remedy gaps within the Region which was additional exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the pressing want for increasing community-based psychological well being providers. 

“We need to make mental health and wellbeing a priority for all by reorienting and integrating mental health services into primary health care ensuring equitable and affordable access to care and services,” stated Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region. 

Mental issues have remained among the many high ten main causes of illness burden worldwide with no signal of lowering pattern since 1990.

Lack of skilled professionals, and assets, stigma round psychological sickness, lack of prevention and promotion of interventions are a number of the key regional challenges in guaranteeing common entry to psychological well being care. 

With an goal to help Member nations increase group psychological well being providers within the WHO South-East Asia Region, specialists, stakeholders from the governmental and non-governmental sectors, and companion businesses exchanged data and experiences to deal with gaps and scale up psychological well being providers at a regional assembly convened by WHO in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 20-22 June. 

Expanding group psychological well being providers, related to the context of various nations was the important thing focus of discussions which additionally included local weather change and psychological well being, reforming psychological well being providers, financing, and knowledge programs.

The WHO South-East Asia Regional Mental Health Dashboard to entry knowledge on the prevalence and the burden of particular psychological, neurological, substance use circumstances and self-harm within the nations of the Region was launched on the assembly. 

WHO has been strongly advocating for community-based well being care as an alternative choice to institutional care broadly acknowledged to extend accessibility, shut remedy gaps, scale back stigma, higher defend human rights, and enhance outcomes. 

The reorganization of psychological well being providers away from psychiatric hospitals in direction of community-based psychological well being providers is a vital part of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Mental Health Action Plan. 

To promote and speed up psychological well being providers, Member nations within the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2022 adopted the landmark Paro Declaration committing to Universal Access to folks Centered Mental Health Care and providers. 

The Region’s robust progress on the availability of psychological well being providers cuts throughout a number of of WHO Regional Flagship Priorities. 

“There is no health without mental health and together we must deepen commitment, reshape environments, and strengthen care to transform mental health, for a better life and future for all,” stated the Regional Director. 

Link to the WHO South-East Asia Regional Mental Health Dashboard: https://sebi.searo.who.int/t/HST/views/SEAR_MNSS_Dashboard_v1_13/Story1/