The suicide rate in Moldova is higher than the European average. According to Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi, this is due to the fact that the mental disorders are not detected on time and are not treated efficiently. This is one of the reasons why the Ministry of Health is implementing the reform of the mental health services with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), IPN reports.
The minister told a news conference that the reform is also needed because there is no coordination ad integration of the mental health services, no efficient training curriculum for those who provide such services and no financing mechanisms, while the rate of institutionalization of those suffering from mental disorders is high (64%).
The objectives of the reform are to review the legislation on mental health and the financing mechanisms so as to ensure the sustainability of services and to appraise the professional training stages of the multidisciplinary teams that will consist of psychiatrists, psychologists, medical workers and social workers. In four districts of the country that are yet to be chosen, there will be created a network of community mental health services that will include the family doctor, mental health centers, general district hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. By this reform, the authorities aim to stimulate the cooperation between the medical, social and education sectors and to reduce stigmatization and discrimination against persons who suffer from mental disorders and against those who work in the area of mental health.
SDC Moldova vice director Viorica Cretu said the four-year project will be implemented with the 6 million Swiss francs (92 million lei) provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. According to her, it is important for the results that will be achieved in the four districts to be sustainable and to be later reproduced in the other districts. The complete reform is epxected to last for 10-12 years. “It is important to understand that the changes are great, but not impossible,” stated Viorica Cretu.
The reform has been launched this August and is implemented by a consortium consisting of the Trimbos Institute (the Netherlands Institute for Mental Health and Addiction), NIVEL (the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), the Mental Health Services of Lucerne, Switzerland, and the Romanian League for Mental Health.
