CONSIDERING recent statistics showing that the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the mental health situation of Filipinos, particularly the youth, an aggressive implementation of the Mental Health Act is needed.
The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has earmarked 2.1 billion for the Department of Health’s (DOH) mental health programs, remarkably higher than last year’s allocation of P568.04 million.
In 2021, DOH reported that at least 3.6 million Filipinos faced mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression and mood disorders like bipolar disorder. It is also the third most common disability in the country. It is thus a big relief that DOH proposed a bigger budget allocation for mental health projects and services.
There are still a lot more to be done to address the country’s mental health issues effectively. Among them is the more concrete and stricter implementation of Mental Health Act, which could help many Filipinos deal with various mental health issues.
DOH should likewise be more proactive in promoting government services available for people who are suffering with mental health problems. It has at its disposal over a billion pesos in the budget to address the needs of persons with mental health challenges and could help change lives.
According to the Healthy Philippines Alliance, they are saddened by the lack of information dissemination on the part of the government regarding mental health. Last year, there was a P30-million budget allocation for information dissemination placed in one major TV network, but based on its monitoring, there was no single mental health awareness ad.
While the government must be commended for allotting more significant funding for mental health services, a full and concrete implementation of the Mental Health Act is crucial. Mental health services should be made accessible to all, in more local government units, and down to the barangays.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. We all know that if someone is sick, regardless if physical or mental, he can’t be productive. And there goes all the socioeconomic problems.
