Senator Franklin Peña presented before the hemicycle a bill that modifies the Mental Health Law 12-06 to establish an integral attention system that includes community and hospital attention in all the provinces.
The proposal discussed in the Senate of the Republic, the legislator indicated that, with the bill, it is intended to address the high number of mental health cases that affect productive activities and impede national sustainable development.
The representative of the province of San Pedro de Macorís explained that the effects produced by mental health related disorders have been devastating in children and adolescents since their daily development activities were limited by the distancing and isolation caused by the measures against COVID-19.
She added that in the Dominican Republic there are figures that are alarming since, according to data from the Mental Health Department of the Ministry of Public Health, between the months March 2020 to March 2021, 10,836 mental health cases were reported, with 4,839 cases of anxiety, 2,919 of sleep disorder and 1,986 of depression, with more women than men being repeat offenders.
“We request that the appropriate resources be channeled to address the national mental health situation, prioritizing community and hospital care and incorporating innovative health technologies for the treatment of these disorders in the country,” said Peña.
He indicated that the modification to the mental health law 12-06 will modernize the standards of awareness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and coverage. The piece of legislation strengthens the fight against the social stigmas suffered by patients with mental illnesses, strengthening community follow-up, allowing the incorporation of health innovations in the catalog of medicines.
