The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoHCA) have jointly developed a plan to strengthen and accelerate the provision of integrated psychiatric and mental treatment to people displaced by war and conflict in various regions. The plan was presented by Dr. Yaregal Fufa and discussed by stakeholders at the Ethiopian Institute of Public Health Disaster Rehabilitation and Resilience.
The detailed objectives of the plan show that psychological, mental and social activities, as well as awareness-raising activities for various stakeholders, will be carried out in a coordinated effort.
The plan is primarily set to train diverse support groups at the community level, to strengthen mental health services in health facilities, and to strengthen access to health and psychological support services for women who have been sexually abused, strengthening their access to health and psychological support services in health facilities and outreach facilities involves the training and deployment of a large number of professionals.
The forum was attended by government officials; trade unions, religious councils, university professors and various partner organizations, and participants provided suggestions for developing the plan.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Lia Tadesse, said the Ministry of Health has been providing various assistance to those affected by the conflict; she explain that there is a lot of visible and invisible damage and the expected support work is very wide, and said the problem needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Dr. Ergoge Tesfaye, on her part said that mental health problems, infrastructure destruction and erosion of values require in-depth work and stressed the need for human resources and other stakeholders to implement the plan to achieve the desired results.