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AT A GLANCE:
Last October 12, 2023, the Department of Health and World Health Organization launched the Philippine Council for Mental Health Strategic Framework 2024-2028 to cover the planning and putting into action mental health rules, plans, and support services for the coming five years.
The five-year plan aims to cut down on premature deaths, improve approaches to preventing and treating substance abuse, and reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to mental health, neurological, and substance use issues.
The Philippine Council for Mental Health
The Philippine Council for Mental Health (PCMH) is hereby established as a policy-making planning, coordinating and advisory body, attached to the Department of Health (DOH) to oversee the implementation of the Mental Health Act, particularly the protection of the rights and freedom of persons with psychiatric, neurologic, and psychosocial needs and the delivery of rational, unified and integrated mental health services responsive to the needs of the Filipino people. (Section 39, Mental Health Act)
The Strategic Framework for 2024-2028
In the Philippines, taking care of mental health is a joint effort involving the government, private organizations, and other groups. It is the DOH that is actively working on mental health programs and policies to support people’s well-being. To boost efforts in improving mental health in the Philippines, the DOH, teamed up with the World Health Organization (WHO), introduced on October 12, 2023, the PCMH Strategic Framework 2024-2028 which is a five-year plan tackling mental health from various angles.
The Strategic Framework for 2024-2028 takes a comprehensive approach by involving the implementation of important mental health policies, strengthening ways to guide and refer patients, creating the Mental Health Internal Review Board, and providing training to media groups on ethical and responsible reporting of suicide.
In other words, it involves making important policies, improving how patients are guided and referred, setting up a group to review mental health issues, and teaching media folks how to report on suicide responsibly.
A big part of this plan is making mental health services easier to get. Now, the PhilHealth Mental Health Benefit Package covers more outpatient services. This means individuals can get essential services like consultations, follow-ups, and support more easily. These services will be available in mental health clinics and places where one can get medicine, making it simpler for people to get the support they need.
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Workplace Policies for Mental Health
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