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LGU Innovation for Mental Health Concerns Under COVID-19

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) affects not only a person's physiological but also his/her psychological well-being. Unfortunately, the effect is not only among those who are affected by the virus but also those who are not.

A number of studies and literatures point out that with the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems increased. The lockdowns and even just the fear of getting infected of the virus were seen to be much higher than in normal times. According to “Suicide Ideation and Attempts in a Pediatric Emergency Department Before and During COVID-19”, the rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were higher during the pandemic compared to 2019" among Texan youth aging 11 to 21. The increase is due to stressors such as stay-at-home orders and school closures.

In the Philippines, one of the local government units (LGUs) that took seriously the effect of COVID-19 to a person's mental health is the City of Mati in Mindanao. The city government created a Telepsychiatry program to take care of patients with mental problems. The program was done in collaboration with the Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Since mobility is a problem during the pandemic, consultations with doctors were made possible through teleconferencing. Patients admitted to Mati’s Acute Psychiatric Care Unit (APCU) stay for treatment from two weeks to three months and are attended to, online, by qualified psychiatrists. Upon discharge, health workers continue to visit the patients until fully recovered.

The city allocated P7 million for the establishment and maintenance of the facility and caters to patients who cannot afford to be admitted to regular institutions. The move became possible due to the allocation by the LGU of the full 15 percent of the city’s budget to the health sector, as recommended by the Department of Health. The sizeable budget also facilitated the city’s robust response to COVID-19 such that by the first week of December it had zero cases.

To learn more about this program, watch the following:




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