Service Infrastructure for Mental Health Needs Improvement

Services and infrastructure facilities should be further improved, in addition to paying attention to healthy people who are vulnerable and people who are already experiencing mental health problems.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A number of patients with mental disorders line up after undergoing a PCR swab test at the Bina Insan Bangun Daya 2 Social Institution, Cipayung, East Jakarta, Monday (23/8/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — An improvement in mental health services in the country is urgently needed. One of the efforts to increase access to these services is empowering primary health facilities to do the task. However, the limited number of mental health personnel has hampered such programs.

In a written statement to commemorate World Mental Health Day last weekend, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the regional director of the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Region (WHO SEARO) called on countries in the WHO SEARO working area to strengthen mental health services.