The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation together with the Health Ministry of Ukraine have launched the project titled “Mental Health in Ukraine”, Deputy Health Minister Iryna Sadoviak said.
“Last week, with the assistance of the Ministry of Health, the project “Mental Health in Ukraine” was launched. On behalf of the ministry, I would like to emphasize the importance of the project and cooperation with international partners, in particular, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, which is the implementer of the project,” she said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.
The deputy minister said that the ministry alongside prepares an action plan to implement the concept of psychiatric care development.
“In 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a concept for the psychiatric care development by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers. It provides for the creation of a holistic system of mental health care and elaboration of all effective routes for the patient. The concept provides that the focus of psychiatric care will be on an outpatient level, rather than in hospitals. In the near future, the ministry will present an action plan to implement this concept,” she said.
“I would like to draw attention to the fact that in Ukraine psychiatric care is focused on the provision of inpatient care. There are 56 mental hospitals in total, with 27,000 beds. This is a large number. To switch to outpatient care, we work on changing the patient’s routes. Most patients who stay in hospitals, they don’t need such help, they need social support. The project that we are implementing includes stages of intersectoral cooperation. We will attract communities, social protection departments, the Ministry of Education. To effectively provide assistance in psychiatry, it is necessary to identify problems on the primary level,” the deputy minister said.
