BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKNIS) – The Governments of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan), through its Embassy in Basseterre, entered into a formal agreement on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, signifying the official launch of the Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project in the Federation.
Through this project, St. Kitts and Nevis look to strengthen the offerings and accessibility of mental health services by reducing the gaps in the prevention, screening, early detection and treatment of mental health disorders including anxiety, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.
Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew signed the agreement with the Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation, His Excellency Michael Lin.
The Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project aims to enhance policy-making capabilities of mental health prevention and control; strengthen healthcare personnel capacity in mental healthcare through local training and on-site training in Taiwan; strengthen mental healthcare functions at health facilities; and raise public awareness of mental health disorders.
His Excellency Ambassador Michael Lin said his government is cognizant of the inextricable link between physical and mental health. This, he said, underscores the importance of the public awareness and educational component of the project.
“A society that is well educated about mental health would encourage people to reach out and ask for help when they need it. This new project will continue the efforts of health screening with a focus on mental health. There will also be education sections to share knowledge and information about mental health with the general public,” Ambassador Lin said while expressing his optimism for the prospective of this project.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, stated that the significance of this project which focuses on the prevention and control of mental health disorders is amplified, given the steady increase in mental health diagnoses particularly coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The whole world went through a traumatic event which was COVID where people didn’t know if they would live or die … and that is significant mental stress and trauma for some,” said Dr. Drew.
The health minister said his government has already invested many resources towards addressing mental health, and noted that investments will continue so that more people can receive the treatment they need.
“We have hired more psychologists, and we have sought to get more family counsellors which my office personally created a fund to support because we need more family counsellors to support our people at the grassroots level, offering them the care they deserve. So we have invested a lot and this project is part of our further investment,” said Dr. Drew, who also recorded his appreciation to the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in this regard.
The project will run for three years until July 2027 and will be implemented through technical cooperation between the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan, through the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).
The Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project is the third ICDF-supported health project in St. Kitts and Nevis. The first project focused on the prevention and control of chronic kidney diseases, while the second project focused on the prevention and control of chronic metabolic diseases.