Minister of Health and Population Dr. Sudha Sharma Gautam has stated that the ministry has placed mental health at the highest level of priority. Speaking at the program “Healthy Mind, Healthy Life – Mental Health Awareness Campaign 2082” held on Wednesday, she said the government is now treating mental health as a major national concern.
“We have now established mental health as a priority area. At this point, there is no one in the Ministry of Health and Population who does not understand the seriousness and importance of mental health. Partner organizations have also begun acknowledging and prioritizing it,” Minister Gautam said.
She noted that although Nepal has had mental health policies and strategies for years, their implementation has been slow and resources extremely limited. Therefore, the ministry has now decided to push mental health forward as a key agenda.
“Mental health policies and strategies exist within the ministry, but their progress has been very slow due to limited resources,” she said. She added that although government policies related to mental health are sound and effective, their outreach and public awareness have been weak.
The minister also highlighted that new initiatives have been launched to strengthen mental health services nationwide. These include expanding psychosocial counseling, operating hotline services, and mobilizing teams to provide support through various mental health programs.
“Our policies are good, but we had not focused enough on promoting them. Now our teams are actively involved in raising awareness, running psychosocial counseling hotlines, and supporting other mental health activities,” she added.
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