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Professor
Cox,
Professor
Lopez-Ibor,
Dr Bowis,
Excellencies,
Distinguished
Participants,
It is a great pleasure for me to address you at the
opening of this impressive conference.
Science and care. Two precious resources that must
be well balanced as we promote equity in mental health and fight the
stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental illness.
As you know, for this year's World Health Day
celebration, the slogan was "Stop Exclusion! Dare to Care!".
Whatever way we say it, the message is being heard.
This is an unprecedented year for mental health.
We chose mental health as the theme for the World
Health Day to be able to raise awareness of the issues at the highest
level. Our intention is to see mental health as a central element of
overall health care. We want to see a step increase in the resources
available to tackle mental illness - globally.
All over the world, thousands of health
professionals, enthusiasts, people that have or are suffering from
mental illness or neurological disorders and their families set out to
mark the day.
The response was better than we ever could hope
for.
From the Pope, from prime ministers and presidents,
from hundreds of speeches in 144 countries.
And from the young girl that took my arm that day
at Mathari Psychiatric Hospital in Kenya.
All gave us the same message: they are determined
to end the stigma and discrimination that undermine efforts to prevent
and treat mental illness; they want to see an end to the isolation of
people with mental illness within our societies.
In May, at the World Health Assembly, ministers of
health engaged in a serious debate about the way forward for mental
health. Clear commitments were given by many ministers - from
Minister Kouchner of France and Secretary Thomson of the United
States; to Minister Peng Yu, from China and Minister Ngedup of Bhutan.
Each undertook to take a close look at their countries' policies and
resources for mental health and to see how they can be improved.
A momentum has been created. Now let us work
together to secure real gains.
This means bringing debate about the need to fight
stigma and discrimination into the open and addressing it head on.
It means bringing people with mental illness in
from the cold - into their communities and enabling them to access
Primary Health Care.
We must make the best use of the knowledge now
available. There have been powerful advances, recently, in our
abilities to manage, treat and prevent a wide range of health and
neurological problems. We know what works and what doesn't.
We must ensure that all are able to benefit from
the effective new treatments now becoming available at lower cost in
poorer communities.
This conference will review the breadth of our
knowledge. It will also look beyond the horizon and map out visions
and directions for the future.
The conference will establish optimal approaches
for psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses to demonstrate
their potential to lead - to others the way to go. You possess the
experience and the science that will guide us all.
It is a heavy responsibility, but an exciting one.
Together, through the application of science and
extraordinary personal commitment, we will stop exclusion and dare
to care.
Thank you. |
