WHO assistance to implement National Policy on Mental Health

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: The World Health Organization (WHO) will assist Sri Lanka to implement the National Policy on Mental Health. Accordingly, the WHO will provide technical assistance to Sri Lanka, a Health Care and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said that Mental health development projects funded by Finland are to be implemented in three provinces namely North, East and West. World Vision, Australia will fund another pilot project to be implemented in Hambantota.

WHO will also assist to upgrade health services in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla districts. Mental health related services in another eight districts are to be upgraded in the next few years.

The Ministry has already taken steps to improve mental health care in Sri Lanka by recruiting 171 doctors to be trained as specialists in mental health.

At the moment there are only 18 psychiatrists available and another 17 will be recruited and trained in order to provide at least one psychiatrist per district. At the moment only 12 professional counsellors are available in the universities.

The number of specialist doctors in mental health available at the moment is 50 and it will be increased to 65 soon.

The number of community assistants will be increased up to 500.