THE Ministry of Health will soon be launching a National Mental Health Action Plan to deal with the numerous aspects of mental health. The Ministry is hoping to launch it in October on World Mental Health Day.

This was announced yesterday by Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran during a press briefing at the Ministry. He pointed out that the plan will focus on the integration of mental health into the primary health care services, and will include training for family doctors, nurses and medex in mental health management, along with improving Psychiatric Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

It will also focus on dealing with several contributing factors to the illness. These include the development of a National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS), a Homeless Action Plan (HAP) and a Drug Rehabilitation Programme (DRP).
A draft for the Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Plan (MHPPP) will also be developed
Legislation is also one of issues that will be looked at under this plan. This will see the Guyana Mental Health Policy and Plan 2014-2020 being updated, the preparation of a policy and guidelines to use psychotropic substances and the finalisation of Guyana’s relevant legislation.
Under this plan, human resource training will be given priority. Emphasis will be placed on incorporating mental health into the curriculum for professional Nurses and Nursing Assistant Programmes and the provision of the Masters in Medicine in the Neuropsychiatry Programme.
Minister Ramsaran noted that thus far, 250 individuals from different areas of the medical field have been trained in this area. The Minister highlighted that emphasis will be placed on having more Cuban trained physiologists in the scholarship programme.
Meanwhile, Minister Ramsaran pointed out that the ministry will be launching a Presidential Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Commission which has been approved by Cabinet and President Donald Ramotar, and will focus on hypertension, diabetes, cancer and heart conditions.
One of the major partners in this initiative is the Ministry of Education with whom the Health Ministry has been working. This commission will be launched in September during the official launching of the Ministry’s Wellness Warriors.

(GINA)