Mental health forum slated on October 12

DAVAO City Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte yesterday announced the holding of a Mental Health Forum with various stakeholders to craft a mental health ordinance.

During the Pulongpulong ni Pulong weekly forum yesterday, Villafuerte said they are scheduled to hold the forum on October 12, 2017 together with City Health Office, Philippine Drug and Enforcement Agency (Pdea), Davao City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO), and other partner agencies.

“We will work on the provisions for the mental health ordinance,” Villafuerte said.

She added that currently the ordinance was already passed on first reading but they will need time to pass it for second

reading since they eye to create a whole new CHO division solely for mental health concerns.

Villafuerte said they eye to ensure that mental health patients will be taken care of from the admission to recovery and not only being given medicines in the acute stage of the illness. She said that the city of General Santos City has already crafted a policy making body for mental health.

Villafuerte has already reviewed the draft of General Santos City legislation and said that the ordinance they are crafting will not be only be limited as a policy making body.

“We do not want a policy making body, what we want is a system for people who knows how to handle our patients,” she said.

Villafuerte said for a mental health division to happen, specialists and psychologists will be hired by the city. KVC