Lima, March 16 - At the inauguration of the Community Mental Health Center, Santa Rosa de Manchay, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, urged the countries of the Americas to reduce the role of psychiatric hospitals and direct more human and financial resources towards strengthening primary care interventions. PAHO Director inaugurated the center along with the Nation´s First Lady, Nancy Lange, and the Minister of Health, Patricia García Funegra, among other authorities.
Dr. Carissa Etienne highlighted Peru's efforts to strengthen the community mental health system and noted that it contributes to increasing effective coverage through outpatient services and the integration of the mental health component into primary care. She noted that this is part of PAHO's "Mental Health Action Plan 2015-2020" and WHO's "Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020". She called for a future in which psychiatry is free of psychiatric hospitals and where mental health is based on the respect for human dignity, integrating services into the community and promoting a life of hope for those who suffer from these disorders.
The Minister of Health highlighted the creation of the Community Mental Health Center as an example of articulated work between different social actors, including local authorities and the Church. She also stressed the need to end the stigma of people with mental disorders. The First Lady and the Minister agreed on the necessity of seeking treatment for mental health problems; she offered her collaboration to expand the protected homes network.
Among other participants were Raúl González Montero, PAHO/WHO Representative in Peru; Andrea Bruni, Subregional Advisor on Mental Health; Yuri Cutipé, Director of Mental Health, and María del Carmen Calle, Director of Strategic Interventions, both from the Health Ministry; local authorities and Church representatives.
