The Health Ministry commemorated the 2021 World Mental Health Day by conducting some activities to raise awareness of policy makers and the public about mental health.
“Indeed, we have prepared several series of activities to commemorate World Mental Health Day. This aims to increase awareness of all of us, both from policy makers across programs, across sectors, and public in general,” sub-coordinator of the substance of mental health problems for children and adolescents at the Ministry of Health, Juzi Delianna, said.
This year, the theme decided by the World Federation of Mental Health is ‘Equality in Mental Health for All’, which emphasizes that there is inequality in access to mental health services due to racial and ethnic differences, she said at an online talk in Jakarta on Friday.
This is also caused by the lack of respect for human rights in a number of countries, including the unequal treatment of people with mental disorders, Delianna continued.
She said her office has conducted a public campaign by organizing a poster competition themed “Human Rights Related to People With Mental Disorders”. The competition was open to the general public and participants were separated based on age.
The Health Ministry also held a public service free safari, targeting people with mental health problems in three districts of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province—Manggarai, West Manggarai, and East Manggarai, Delianna said.
The activities were hosted in collaboration with the local Health Office, Social Office, mental hospitals, related professional organizations, and the public, she added.
“We also held a workshop that invited a number of cross-ministerial, mental health professional organizations, academics and communities, then there was a media meeting, a bloggers meeting that was held yesterday,” Delianna said.
The ministry has provided a forum for discussion through national television and radio to promote and educate the general public about mental health, she added.
She said her office also conducted a three-part webinar series on mental health, from September 30 to October 1, 2021. The webinar series were aimed at millennial teenagers to adults, she informed.
The Health Ministry will hold an event on October 10, 2021 at a mental hospital in Solo, Central Java, he informed. In the upcoming event, those who are committed to providing mental health services for the community will be rewarded, she said.
“We will give awards to parties who have a strong commitment to improve and make innovations in providing mental health services for the community,” Delianna added.
Source: Antara News