Health Ministry launches report on investment in mental health

AMMAN — In the presence of HRH Prince El Hassan, chairman of the High Council for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the WHO, launched the "The Investment Justification Study on the Prevention and Management of Mental Health Conditions in Jordan."

The event was attended by Minister of Health Firas Hawari, Minister of Education and Scientific Research Azmi Mahafzah, Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa, Minister of Investment Khuloud Saqqaf, and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The study was carried out by staff from the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the WHO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Jordan and the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force (UNIATF).

Prince El Hassan stressed the need to create a regional mental health centre for crisis prevention during his participation in a panel discussion. He also highlighted the importance of creating a care centre for victims of the war, noting that wars lead to psychological trauma that is shared among generations.

The Prince explained that during crises, whether related to wars or disasters, mental health must be given high priority in order to preserve human dignity.

Prince Hassan also said, "The need to invest in human resource development is more urgent than ever to transform citizens from followers to participants in decision-making".

Prince Hassan underscored the necessity of spending to develop the human condition and empowerment by relying on a catalogue of multiple deprivations in order to know the aspects of destitution and deprivation of individuals, whether related to health, education or quality of life.