La Paz, 5 August 2016 (PAHO/WHO) - PAHO/WHO Mental Health Advisor for South America, Dr. Andrea Bruni, visited Bolivia with the purpose of providing technical advice for the development of the "National Mental Health Plan 2016-2020," within the framework of PAHO/WHO Plan of action on mental health 2013-2020. In line with PAHO's international recommendations, the plan Bolivia is elaborating follows a community-based approach.
During his stay, Dr. Bruni visited the Mental Health Unit of the Hospital de Clínicas, part of the public health subsystem; the San Juan de Dios Rehabilitation and Mental Health Center, privately managed in partnership with the Catholic Church; and the pioneering Bolivian primary health care project "My Health" in El Alto. He also met civil society organizations, such as the Association of Patients with Epilepsy.
Bruni noted that in most countries mental health policies are not taken into account by health systems and are lagging behind in human and financial resources, making mental health care almost always inadequate, thus directly affecting patients. PAHO/WHO strongly recommends Member States that their health care systems seek to increase quality services for treating mental health problems. He also highlighted that a huge challenge for all countries is the respect for the human rights of patients with mental health problems. "There is legal obligation to implement measures aimed at a paradigm shift regarding care and treatment of patients with mental illness to protect them and guarantee their full enjoyment of human rights," remarked the Advisor.
According to local authorities, this was an opportunity to show the progress made by the country in the field of mental health, as well as for receiving suggestions on lessons learned by other countries in the Region.
