Give mental health priority – Bong Go
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Tuesday called on the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to bolster efforts to extend psychosocial assistance to individuals struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
“In this time of the coronavirus pandemic, we should also ensure that mental health is valued, promoted and protected. Aside from physical health, mental health is also very important,” said Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee.
The senator said the pandemic and subsequent disease-containment responses created conditions that affected the mental health of adults and children.
“Public measures, such as social [or physical] distancing and self-isolation, can cause loneliness and fear in people, which in turn increase anxiety and stress.
Moreover, people receiving mental health services before the pandemic might have been cut off in areas under community quarantine,” he emphasized.
“Several people are depressed due to the present situation. In fact, OFWs ( overseas Filipino workers) are in a sad situation, as they have been away from their families for a long time. It’s hard to be away from your family,” he said in Filipino.
Social Welfare Secretary Roland Bautista said concerned agencies, led by the DSWD and DoH, were working to address the rising number of Filipinos seeking mental health treatment. Over Q50 individuals have availed of the agency’s online psychosocial counseling as of June 2020.
Go believes the government can do more to lend support to Filipinos by expanding existing mental health services, raising awareness about mental health issues, and addressing barriers such as stigma, access and inconvenience that usually discourage people from seeking treatment.
On May 28, the senator presided over a Senate health committee hearing to discuss Senate Bill ( SB) Q47Q, which seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) QQ036 or the “Mental Health Act” authored by Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.
Go backed SB Q47Q, which seeks to enhance Section 5 of the law that tackles the rights of service users.
The new section will provide Filipinos with mental health conditions immediate access to the “compensation benefits and/ or any special financial assistance that he or she is entitled to under existing laws should the service user sustain temporary or permanent mental disability while in the performance of duty or by reason of his or her office or position.”
Go reminded employers that the mental well- being of their employees has direct impact on their productivity. “Now more than ever, they must fulfill their moral obligation to take care of their workers given the emotional toll of the pandemic.”