V Cumbre Mundial de Salud Mental: Director de la OPS urge a garantizar el acceso a servicios y atención, sin estigma ni discriminación – OPS/OMS

Buenos Aires, October 5, 2023 (PAHO/WHO) – “We must guarantee that all people have access to quality mental health services and care, based on human rights and free of stigma and discrimination. And suicide must be addressed urgently,” urged today the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa, during the inauguration in the city of Buenos Aires of the 5th World Summit on Mental Health, the first to be held. out in the region of the Americas.

This objective “requires multisectoral alliances and an increase in investment, but also, and as it is a transversal issue for all health and non-health sectors; «It must be integrated into all policies to effectively reinforce the promotion, prevention and care of mental health,» considered the PAHO Director.

Accompanied by the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti; and the director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Robert Mardini, Dr. Barbosa warned that the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian crises, climate change, conflicts, violence and growing inequalities have an impact on health . mental.

Also present through videos were the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the executive director of UNICEF, Catherine Russel.

During the inauguration of the summit, President Fernández pointed out that mental health is a growing issue, but that “it continues to be taboo” in society, which is why “paying attention to mental health is imperative and necessary.”

Regarding the situation in the Americas, the PAHO Director indicated that the region “experiences an enormous burden of disability-adjusted life years due to mental health conditions, and is the only one in the world where the suicide rate has increased in the last two decades.”

Added to this is that “many people living with mental health conditions, particularly those in vulnerable situations, lack access to the necessary care in their communities and are subject to stigma, discrimination and marginalization.” Faced with this situation, the region faced a reform with “the reorganization in many countries of their mental health services towards a community base.”

At the end of his presentation, Dr. Barbosa expressed his expectations for the summit in which “productive debates and concrete recommendations emerge that will pave the way forward and new and strengthened opportunities for global collaboration on this fundamental issue of health and development.”