WHO provides mental health services to over 1m Afghans — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The World Health Organisation (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, has provided mental health services to more than one million people in Afghanistan, trained health workers and supported the establishment of mental health units in provincial hospitals, an official said on Monday. Dr. Manuel de Lara, WHO representative in Afghanistan, said at a public awareness event on mental health that decades of conflict, economic hardship and humanitarian crises had made mental health a major public health priority in the country. He said the progress achieved in this area was the result of joint efforts by the Ministry of Public Health, WHO and other health partners. Supporting Kabul’s National Mental Health Hospital was also part of WHO’s activities in Afghanistan, he added. Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani, deputy minister for health service delivery, said the ministry had intensified efforts to improve mental health services and made considerable progress in the sector. He said the ministry was committed to expanding these services, improving their quality and making them more accessible to the public. Mental health-related health centres had also been established in several provinces, he added. Dr Waheedullah Afghan, head of mental health at the Ministry of Public Health, described mental health as an essential component of overall health and said protecting it was a shared responsibility. Dr…