Kyrgyz health minister attends summit on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Greece

Bishkek, July 23, 2021 . / Kabar /. Minister of Health and Social Development of Kyrgyzstan Alymkadyr Beishenaliev is attending on July 22-23 a Summit on Actions Required to Address the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Service Delivery Systems in the WHO European Region in Athens, Greece. The summit focuses on necessary measures to overcome the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and service delivery systems, the press service of the Kyrgyz Health Ministry said. In his speech, Minister Beishenaliev noted that the entire world, including Kyrgyzstan, has been fighting the pandemic for a year and a half. "Long-lasting quarantine measures, restriction of movement, as well as isolation of people, especially children, can affect the psyche of the population and leave consequences for many years and disrupt the psycho-emotional state of our population. Once again, I note the need to combat the effects of the pandemic, as well as to engage in prevention, mental health care", he said. The minister also noted that among the approved health programs, an important place is taken by the Government's program for the protection of mental health of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic (2018-2030). The program is in line with the European Health and Wellness Policy "Health 2020". Beishenaliev noted that with the support of the WHO Regional Office, the project "On the provision of medical-psychological and psychotherapeutic assistance to the population of the Kyrgyz Republic in the conditions of the COVID-19 epidemic" was implemented. The purpose of this project was to create a system of remote online psychological, psychotherapeutic counseling in the field of mental health, to provide remote (online) consultations on psychological and psychiatric care to the population in the conditions of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection. The program of the Athens Summit is very intense, the two-day summit will allow countries to discuss issues related to the necessary measures to address the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and on the service delivery system in the WHO European Region. A final document, prepared by the technical coordination group and adopted by the conference participants, is expected to become a basis for the development of a post-pandemic COVID-19 mental health response and recovery mechanism, as well as in the digitalization of mental health services.