St Kitts and Taiwan signs agreement for Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project

Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: St Kitts and Nevis signed a significant agreement with Republic of China (Taiwan) to launch the Mental Health Service System Enhancement Project. This project has been designed with a vision to strengthen the services and access to mental wellness care in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.

This crucial agreement was signed by the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew and Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation, Michael Lin.

With the implementation of this project, the Government of St Kitts and Nevis aims to strengthen its offerings and accessibility of mental health services. The administration aims to reduce the gaps in the prevention, screening, early detection and treatment of mental health disorders including anxiety, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.

While shedding light on this project, the Prime Minister stated that it would play a huge role in strengthening healthcare personnel’s capacity in mental healthcare through local training and on-site training in Taiwan. Along with that, he also mentioned that this project would strengthen mental healthcare functions at health facilities and will play a huge role in raising public awareness of mental health disorders.

PM Drew emphasised on the importance of mental wellness and stated that it is very important especially at the time where a significant percentage of people need access to mental wellness care in order to enhance their overall well-being.

Moreover, the Prime Minister highlighted the mental trauma faced by the people during the COVID-19 pandemic and stated that people didn’t even know if they would live or die, and this project would give a steady increase in mental health diagnoses, particularly in coming out of this pandemic.

While focusing on the investment on this project, PM Drew stated that his administration has already invested  many resources towards the problem of mental health. He noted “Mental wellness will get the necessary investment as any other sphere of health, as it is critical in establishing a sustainable island state.”

The Prime Minister further added that his administration would continue to invest huge resources so that more people could receive the treatment they required.  This project will be implemented through technical cooperation between the Government of St Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan through the International Cooperation and Development Fund.

This project will run for a period of three years until July 2024 and is also the third ICDF-supported health project that will take place in St Kitts and Nevis.

The Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew also highlighted that he has hired more psychologists and also family counsellors in order to support people at the grassroots level to offer them the care which they deserve.