Ramsammy lambastes global community for inaction in mental health

Oct 16, 2008 News

Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy has lashed out at the global health community for its inaction in dealing with mental health issues.

Speaking at the launch of a mental health workshop yesterday, the minister expressed astonishment that no mention of mental health was made in the 2008 World Health Report, which was handed over by the Pan American Health Organisation on Tuesday.

To change this he vowed to, as the Senior Minister of Health in the Caribbean, ensure that mental health is put on the agenda.

Lamenting the inaction, he however acknowledged that most countries are guilty of neglecting mental health.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the World Health Organization released its Annual Report. Not a word was said about mental health. Investment in mental health continues to lag far behind almost all major diseases and conditions.”

He added that developing countries, faced with financial resource constraints, usually have insignificant investments in mental health or have an almost inhumane neglect of mental health.

“We hear the rhetoric, but action does not match our rhetoric when it comes to mental health.”

As a senior Minister of Health of CARICOM, Ramsammy said she is determined to advocate strongly for mental health to be given as much priority as HIV/AIDS.

“As Minister of Health of Guyana, I want to change this reality and am determined that mental health must occupy a prominent place on the health and development agenda of Guyana.

As the senior Minister of Health of CARICOM, I want to ensure that the neglect, absolute neglect of mental health in the Caribbean is changed and that CARICOM as part of the Caribbean Charter for Health III make mental health a priority health issue, in the same exceptional way we have pursued HIV. I believe that even with the work we do with HIV now, we need to do even more with HIV. But there can be no doubt that mental health deserves no less a place in our development agenda than HIV.”

As the Caribbean strengthens its fight against chronic diseases, Minister Ramsammy said he will also be working to ensure that mental health is given more than a cursory status, adding that it is his belief that Guyana and the Caribbean should be accountable to its citizens by saying how much is being invested into mental health.

“I know for certain that the mental health budget in Guyana has increased by several hundred per cent in the last several years. As we stand right now, more than $250M will be invested in recurrent expenses in 2008 in mental health programs…Capital investment in 2008 would exceed $60M.”

In his capacity as President of the World Health Assembly, the minister also expressed extreme disappointment in the continued weak focus on mental health on the global health agenda.

“I strongly believe given its indispensable place on the health and development agenda, given the imperative

of mental health, there is a serious deficit on global health and development leadership and agenda.

A Global Fund for mental health is a prerequisite for development and the sooner the world confesses to this, the better our chance of eliminating poverty and improving health for all, the goals of Alma Ata, more than 30 years ago, and the goals of the MDGs which stare at us as 2015 approaches.”

He pointed out that depression alone accounts for almost 4% of the global disease burden.

“Waiting for the future to address these issues is not an option. Waiting for the future to address the mental health conundrum is a mistake of colossal proportions and is a good example of bad governance, a critical component of health for all.”

Against this backdrop, he said, the Health Ministry has developed a strategy to integrate mental health programs within the primary health care system. The rolling out of the depression and anxiety guidelines for use by primary health care providers has already begun, he said.

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Ramsammy lambastes global community for inaction in mental health

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