The Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled the 2024–2028 Philippine Council for Mental Health (PCMH) strategic framework on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Rizal Park Hotel in Manila.
DOH said the initiative aims to guide the development and implementation of mental health policies, programs, and services to address the significant burden of mental illness in the country and enhance mental health and well-being.
It emphasized that the PCMH strategic framework is designed to serve as a “guiding document” for the development and implementation of comprehensive mental health policies, programs, and services in the Philippines over the next five years.
The "Ginhawa ng Isip at Damdamin (Relief for the Mind and Emotions)" framework is in accordance with the Health Sector's Eight-Point Action Agenda.
Objectives
The collaborative effort among various government agencies and key stakeholders aims to reduce premature mortality, effectively preventing and treating substance abuse, and decreasing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders.
“Today, as we launch the 2024–2028 PCMH Mental Health Strategic Framework, I am confident that we can address more mental health concerns in the country. With the contributions of all partner agencies under the PCMH and the guidance of WHO, we can achieve all the strategies we are set to do as laid out in the new five-year strategic framework,” said Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.
Supported by the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, the PCMH strives to uphold the basic right of Filipinos to mental health.
This includes implementing mental health policies, strengthening patient navigation and referral pathways, creating the Mental Health Internal Review Board, and providing training to media groups on ethical and responsible reporting and portrayal of suicide, the DOH emphasized.
With the theme “Inspire, Involve, Illuminate,” the event is an opportunity to advance the national agenda for mental health, reinforce alliances, and ultimately motivate actions toward achieving a responsive and compassionate health system for the well-being of all Filipinos, DOH said.
The Health Department noted that since the passage of the Mental Health Act in 2018, the Philippines has made significant strides in scaling up mental health services and providing quality essential medicines.
With 362 access sites nationwide dispensing 30 mental health medicines, it served 124,246 service users in 2022.
The DOH has also invested in the capacity building of health and non-health personnel on mental health through the continuous implementation of the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MHGAP) in local government units, in addition to establishing the National Center for Mental Health's 24/7 crisis hotlines.
“We commit to implementing pro-equity strategies to ensure access to universal health care and develop resilient health systems in the country that respond to the mental health and well-being needs of every citizen,” WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rui Paulo De Jesus said.
It highlighted the government's efforts to transform mental health-responsive communities have resulted in significant achievements.
These include 78,449 private establishments with mental health workplace policies to ensure the safety and well-being of employees, 54 hospitals providing “behavioral nudges” to help health workers cope with stress, and 273 last-mile elementary schools serving as implementing sites for a comprehensive range of mental health measures under the Healthy Learning Institutions (HLI) Framework as per the DOH.
The event was graced by PCMH Council members from different agencies, including the Department of Education, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of the Interior and Local Government. (Zekinah Elize Espina)