SETTING UP THE MASTERS PROGRAMME IN PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH IN THE INSTITUTIONS OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

BACKGROUND: The Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organisation comprise of countries extending from Morocca in the West and Pakistan in the East. The region is unique as regards its peoples, geography, and above all diversity in terms of population densities, health infrastructure, resources (both human and economic), and disease patterns. A common thread is however the absence of a robust mental health policy and effective mental health services in nearly all the member states of EMRO. The member states also lack indigenous specialists trained in public mental health policy and services. They consequently rely either on foreign resources in this regard or end up blindly following western models that fail to find local relevance, and fail to deliver, consistently. Other peculiarities that demand local / homegrown solutions to address the mental health issues are an ever increasing gap in resource allocation for mental health services, and the magnitude of mental health problems. (Reference… figures, data…). The additional challenges faced by the countries of the region include: stigma of mental illness, changing population patterns, growing awareness for use of scientific mental health care, mental health services that are in dire need of newer ideas, reorganization and improvement, lack of modern specialized units for psychiatric intensive care, high security / dependence forensic services, crisis management, day care, short and long term inpatient care, mental health – friendly policies sensitive to human rights of mentally ill, and well utilized, coordinated and robust community mental health programmes of international standing and standards. These gaps in the mental health scene in EMRO often reflects in highly fragmented, poorly coordinated, and many a times unsafe delivery of mental health care, civil and human rights abuses of mentally ill, and minimal resource allocations for mental health amongst member states.