THE Department of Health (DoH) on Thursday launched the 20242028 Philippine Council for Mental Health (PCMH) Strategic Framework which aims to develop policy directions for mental health in the country.

Supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Initiative for Mental Health, the PCMH promotes the basic right of Filipinos to mental health by strengthening patient navigation and referral pathways, creating the Mental Health Internal Review Board, and training media groups on ethical and responsible reporting and portrayal of suicide.

“I am confident that we can address more mental health concerns in the country. With the contributions of all partner agencies under the PCMH and the guidance of WHO, we can achieve all the strategies we are set to do as laid out in the new five-year strategic framework,” Health Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa said.

Various government agencies and key stakeholders worked together in formulating the plan which is in line with the “Ginhawa ng Isip at Damdamin” — one of the health sector’s 8-Point Action Agenda Para sa Healthy Pilipinas.

The DoH said the plan aims to reduce premature mortality and the vulnerability of individuals and communities to mental, neurological and substance use disorders.

Since the passage of the Mental Health Act in 2018, the Philippines has scaled up mental health services and quality essential medicines, with 362 sites nationwide dispensing 30 mental health medicines serving 124,246 service users in 2022.

At least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from mental, neurological and substance use.

In 2019, one in every eight individuals, or around 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder.

“We commit to implementing pro-equity strategies to ensure access to universal health care and develop resilient health systems in the country that respond to the mental health and well-being needs of every citizen,” WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rui Paulo de Jesus said.

The government has also implemented strategies across different agencies and educational institutions, which resulted in 78,449 private establishments with mental health workplace policies; 54 hospitals providing “behavioral nudges” to help health workers cope with stress; and 273 last-mile elementary schools serving as implementing sites of a comprehensive range of mental health measures under the Healthy Learning Institutions Framework.