Belize City, Belize, February 26, 2024 (PAHO) – To guide the advancement of the mental health program and services in Belize, the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is conducting a five-day training on the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mh-GAP-IG) with funding support from the European Union (EU) through the Health Sector Support Programme.
In the region of the Americas, the treatment gap for mental health is more than 70 percent in many countries. Thus, for Belize, this training is expected to bridge the gap by integrating mental health at the primary level of care to ensure accessible, equitable, and comprehensive mental health services in Belize.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on people’s mental health and has demonstrated the importance of strengthening health policies and systems to address emerging and existing mental health conditions,” said Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell, PAHO/WHO Representative.
Although there hasn’t been any epidemiological study on mental health conducted in the country, between the period of 2018-2021, three mental health diagnostic categories were recorded through the Belize Health Information System (BHIS). This included anxiety disorders (45%), affective disorders (22%), and schizophrenia and other related disorders (8%).
Since 2022, the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) in Belize, through a collaboration with PAHO/WHO Belize, conducted a series of mh-GAP training countrywide, equipping over 80 primary healthcare workers with the necessary skills to diagnose and treat mental health disorders at the primary level of care. Therefore, to strengthen the delivery of mental health services in the country, the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health & Wellness is implementing an Operational Plan for 2024, part of which is to continue to build capacity in the use of the WHO - Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in the primary care setting. This, along with appropriate access to medication, and a systems approach to care will contribute to the broader goal of integrating mental health services into primary care and thereby increase access to mental health care with reduced stigma across the country.
“Mental health is a subject of paramount importance; it touches the lives of each of us in this room in perhaps different but always very meaningful ways. We must reduce the stigma associated with mental illnesses by allowing more discussions, and education in this area,” said Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health and Wellness.
PAHO/WHO Belize continues to work with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and partners like the EU to advance mental health care in the country and ensure that access to mental health services is on par with the highest global standards; thus, strengthening the overall health system within Belize.
