Caracas, 17 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The International Seminar on Human Rights and Mental Health was held in Caracas in the framework of World Health Day 2017. It was convened by the National Human Rights Council together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO). Two panels of experts discussed the right to mental health and made an analysis of mental health public policies and experiences in Venezuela and other countries in the Region.
"World Health Day is not limited to a one-day activity. It is an opportunity to address depression and all aspects of mental health within health policies and programs, as well as in hospital and community health services, throughout the year. Talking about depression without stigma and discrimination is the first step to address this public health problem," said José Moya, PAHO/WHO Representative in Venezuela. He then introduced PAHO/WHO international experts, Andrea Bruni and Hugo Cohen, who presented recommendations, good practices and lessons learned in mental health in the Region of the Americas.
The second working table was chaired by Edgar Rivera, Vice Minister of Collective Health Networks, who presented the advances made in mental health and suggested the creation of a working group to review the proposed mental health reform in the country.
Among participants, were "Hugo Chavez Frías" Health Sciences University, the University of Carabobo, as well as different mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists), who consensually expressed the need for a legal instrument to protect and guarantee the right to quality care and respect for people with mental disorders.
