St Kitts and Nevis partners with Taiwan to promote mental health

The government of St Kitts and Nevis signed an agreement with the Republic of China (Taiwan) to launch the Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project. Authorities said the project is designed to improve access to mental wellness care in the Federation.  

The formal agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Office between Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and Resident Ambassador of Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation, Michael Lin.  

As per reports, the project will be in place for a period of three years until July 2027 and will be executed through technical cooperation between St Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan, through the ICDF - International Cooperation and Development Fund. 

While sharing the development through his official Facebook account, PM Drew noted that mental wellness is important especially at this time where a significant percentage of the island’s population need access to mental wellness care to enhance their overall wellbeing.  

He added that he vowed to the people that access to mental wellness services would be a significant pillar of the revamped healthcare system.  

“Mental wellness will get the necessary investment as any other sphere of health, as it is critical in establishing a sustainable island state,” emphasised the Prime Minister.  

PM Drew continued to say that the entire world experienced a traumatic event which was COVID where people did not know if they would live or die and that was significant mental stress and trauma.  

He said that his administration has already invested several resources towards addressing this issue ,confirming hat investments will continue so that more people can get the necessary treatment.  

Furthermore, PM Drew outlined that his government has hired more psychologists and is seeking to get more family counsellors which his office personally created a fund to support. 

“We need more family counsellors to support our people at the grassroots level, offering them the care they deserve,” highlighted PM Terrance Drew. 

He also thanked the officials from the Republic of China (Taiwan) for partnering with the Federation in their effort to expand access to mental wellness care.  

According to the information, St Kitts and Nevis looks forward to boosting the offerings and accessibility of mental health services through this project. This will be done by reducing the gaps in the screening, prevention, early detection as well as treatment of mental health disorders including bipolar disorders, anxiety and schizophrenia. 

Moreover, the Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project strives to boost policy forming capabilities of mental health prevention while strengthening the healthcare personnel capacity in this sphere. 

Ambassador Lin expressed his optimism for this project and noted that a society which is well educated about mental health would motivate people to reach out and ask for help when required. He added that this new project will continue the efforts of health screening with a major focus on mental health. 

Not only this, but the Ambassador also confirmed that there will be educational sections to share knowledge and information regarding this particular concern with the general public.  

Notably, the Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project is the 3rd health project which is being supported by the ICDF in St. Kitts and Nevis. Earlier two projects included the prevention and control of chronic kidney diseases and the prevention and control of chronic metabolic diseases.