Viktor Liashko: high-quality mental health services should be available to everyone

Today, the minister of health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko at a meeting of the interdepartmental coordination council of the All-Ukrainian mental health program, which is implemented on the initiative of the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, presented the priority project of the Ministry, which is called “Mental health at the primary level of medical care”.

“Taking into account the existing challenges, we set ourselves the goal of creating a practice where a family doctor can take care not only of a person's physical health, but also assess their mental state and provide the necessary psychological support,” Viktor Liashko said. “We have already introduced a new package “Support and treatment of adults and children with mental disorders at the primary level of medical care” in the program of medical guarantees. This package can be signed by primary health care institutions where at least 20% of medical professionals have completed courses and received a certificate with the appropriate level of training.”

To train medical professionals, the Ministry of Health, together with WHO, has launched the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), which has already been successfully completed by 20% of family doctors. Currently, 23,392 people are registered in the program, and 19,280 have already received certificates. It is planned that by the end of 2024, 60% of specialists will be trained in 1000 primary care medical institutions contracted under the package “Support and treatment of adults and children with mental disorders at the primary level of medical care” under the program of medical guarantees.

As a result, Ukrainians can already get a number of answers and consultations about their own mental health when contacting their family doctor. This will help reduce the stigma and fear associated with seeking such assistance.