Health Minister attends 6th Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in Qatar

Doha, Sep. 30 (BNA): Dr. Jaleela bint Al Sayed Jawad Hasan, Minister of Health, participated in the Sixth Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit hosted by the State of Qatar from September 30 to October 1 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Centre under the theme "Transforming Mental Health through Investment, Innovation and Digital Solutions". 

In the plenary session titled "From Global Commitment to National Action: Key Messages and Implications of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases", the Health Minister said that the political declaration issued by the UN General Assembly meeting marks a pivotal moment in global health. She highlighted that it establishes mental health as a key focus in combating non-communicable diseases and achieving sustainable development goals. She emphasised the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment to promoting individual mental health, building resilient health systems, and enhancing international cooperation in this area.

She highlighted that Bahrain places human health among its top priorities, having launched a national mental health strategy aimed at improving services and developing infrastructure through specialised hospitals and clinics, alongside expanding remote mental health services.

Several key initiatives have been implemented, including integrating mental health services into primary healthcare to ensure easy access and early detection, prevention and early intervention through school programmes, and national awareness campaigns to increase community understanding of mental illness. 

The summit focused on reviewing and adopting innovative methods and interventions to accelerate access to mental health services, improve their quality and capacity, and advance dialogue and international cooperation among stakeholders.