The Health Ministry aims to have 50 percent of all community health centers (Puskesmas) able to provide mental health services by 2025.
he Health Ministry aims to have 50 percent of all community health centers (Puskesmas) nationwide able to provide mental health services by next year.
This marks in increase in the current figure of 40 percent of Puskesmas providing such services in several regions across the country, according to the ministry’s director for mental health, Imran Pambudi.
“Our aim is to have five puskesmas in each city that are able to provide mental health services,” Imran said on Friday, as quoted by Antara.
The ministry will increase the target to 70 percent of all Puskesmas by 2026.
But Imran admitted that health authorities would face several challenges in achieving such targets, such as the limited number of mental health professionals. The ministry recorded that up to 70 percent of available psychologists and psychiatrists are concentrated in Jakarta.
He noted that there is a province that only has one psychologist serving the whole region, but stopped short of naming the province.
To address the shortage, the ministry is working to improve the abilities of 1 million people so they can be assigned as first aiders in the Psychological Wounds First Aid (P3LP) initiative.
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