Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has called for an increase in government intervention, particularly in the form of psychological assistance and mental health support for Filipinos.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, made the call as the nation celebrates World Mental Health Day, saying there is a need for ordinary citizens to prioritize their mental health and for society, as a whole, not to take mental health issues lightly.
“Marami pong na-depress, maraming talagang tinamaan po noong panahon ng pandemya. Hindi natin maipagkakaila iyan lalung-lalo na po noong panahon ng quarantine, hirap silang mag-adjust (Many were depressed, a lot of people were depressed during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic we can’t deny that especially during the quarantine period, many people found it hard to adjust),” said Go in an interview after his inspection of the Super Health Center in Arakan, North Cotabato over the weekend.
As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Go expressed his support for the government's mental health programs and pointed out that the allocated funding for these must be prioritized as well in the 2023 national health budget.
The current budget allocation for mental health programs are P568-million in 2022 and will be increased to P1-billion for 2023 under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11036 or the Philippine Mental Health Act.
Go also urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to develop as soon as possible a more comprehensive mental health package that will also include consultation and other outpatient services.
“For as long as it is viable on the part of PhilHealth, coverage should include a much wider range of mental and behavioral conditions,” he appealed during the budget deliberations on the health budget.
Go also urged the Department of Health (DOH) to make its existing Medicine Access Program for Mental Health more accessible to as many Filipinos in need of mental health medicines.
“Although the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City continues to cater to mental health patients, we have to make this type of government service available to more people nationwide, especially in rural and far-flung areas,” he said.
For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian reiterated his push to institutionalize mental health services in public and private schools nationwide.
Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 379 which aims to institutionalize the Mental Health and Well-Being Program to provide mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs and other support services.
Under the bill, the senator said the Department of Education (DepEd) will be mandated to establish and maintain a Mental Health and Well-Being Center in every public school.
He said these centers will deliver mental and well-being services to address the mental, emotional, and developmental needs of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
The DepEd will also ensure that these centers are established and maintained in all private schools.