President Solih: Mental health highly disregarded since early times

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Monday, identified the biggest challenge in the provision of mental healthcare as the area having been highly disregarded since early times.

He made the remark during the launching ceremony of ‘Kihineh?’ campaign – the National Social and Behavior Change Communications Strategy on Prevention and Promotion of Mental Health – at Dharubaaruge on Monday.

The strategy and campaign were launched as part of the administration's policy on preventing and promoting mental health.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Solih said that the dire situation of mental health illnesses in the Maldives at present is a result of the lack of importance placed on the area over the previous years.

Unlike this, the President said that his administration has accorded high priority to ensuring the people's mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being. In this regard, he highlighted the administration’s success in ensuring inclusive physical and mental healthcare services for every citizen without discrimination.

Underscoring the importance of identifying mental health problems early – President Solih stressed the need to seek assistance and treatment starting from an early stage. He noted that the

"Kihineh?" campaign would promote social and behavioral change around the current perceptions and attitudes towards mental health.

President Solih also spoke on the administration's efforts to prevent and promote mental health – particularly highlighting the inauguration of the country's first mental health centre at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and mental health coverage has been included under ‘Aasandha’, the universal health insurance scheme.

Moreover, he noted that mental health services had been expanded at Hulhumalé Hospital with the opening of the Mental Health Center this October – whereas the service is also available at the five tertiary hospitals under development across the country.

‘Kihineh?’ – the one-year campaign launched by the administration in partnership with UNICEF Maldives aims to address the high levels of stigma attached to mental health and related issues, promote awareness and understanding of these issues, and create a more tolerant, nurturing, and compassionate community.