Your Excellency, Minister of Health, Associate Professor Dr. Bounkong SYHAVONG
Esteemed Director/Deputy Directors General of departments from health and non-health ministries
Representatives from Provincial Health Offices in Lungprabang, Vientiane, Khammoun, Champasack and Attapeu Development partners
Distinguished guests and colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning
Sa bai dee thon sao.
I am delighted to attend the consultation meeting here today. Mental health is a fundamental component of health and well-being. The critical global importance of this issue is highlighted by its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals, and more specifically in SDG 3. This sends the message that mental health is an important area for every country, including here in Lao PDR.
Like many health priorities, good mental health has an importance beyond the health of individuals and families. If people have good mental health, they can realize their broader abilities and potentials. They can work productively and make a contribution to their families and communities. They can cope with the stresses of life.
Some people may not realise how common mental health issues are. But the reality is that most of us will experience mental health issues at some point in our lives, like stress, anxiety or depression. WHO estimates that, at any one time – today, for example – Nearly 1 out of every 10 people has a mental health disorder.
Depression alone accounts for 4.3% of the global burden of disease. It is one of the largest causes of disability worldwide. Yet care and treatment for depression, and other common mental illnesses, is not as widely available as it should be. Globally, only 1% of the health workforce is currently dedicated to providing care and treatment to people with mental health issues.
This issue of lack of access to mental health care and treatment is particularly acute in lower resource countries such as Lao PDR. Which is why our meeting here today is so important.
In the room here today, we have the key partners, experts and policy makers. We have a common task - to develop a national guideline for mental health in Lao PDR. This will give us a map to guide our efforts over the coming years, as we seek to expand access to mental health care and treatments.
One important area, which is particularly topical given the floods this month, is provision of mental health services during and after emergencies.
Traumatic events such as floods can be a trigger for mental illness. All people in a disaster-affected community experience psychological distress. This is a normal reaction to losing your home, your livelihood and maybe also members of your family. However, people with existing mental disorders are especially vulnerable during and after emergencies.
We saw this illustrated very vividly in 2018, when a dam collapsed in Attapeu. A large number of mental health problems – such as stress-related reactions, depression and anxiety – were reported in communities destroyed as a result of the collapse.
Our experiences from Attapeu and elsewhere show that we need to build up the mental health workforce before disaster strikes. Lao needs a sufficient number of skilled mental health staff, so that it can respond to a surge in demand when emergencies such as Attapeu, or this month’s floods, happen.
The development of Lao PDR’s national guideline will be an important step forwards in this. The guideline should make sure mental health services are available to all who need them, both during times of peace and during emergencies.
I wish you a fruitful meeting. Thank you Khop Chai