Health workers attending the training session were trained in how to deal with most common mental health conditions based on WHO international standards. Following the training session, they will also receive mentoring and on-the-job training in their areas of service provisionBaghdad, 28 October 2018 – A 5-day Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) training session for 25 primary health care professionals from health facilities operating in camps for internally displaced persons in Ninewa and Dahuk has concluded. WHO supported the meeting that was jointly convened by Dahuk Directorate of Health with the aim of equipping health professionals with knowledge and skills to deliver mental health and psychosocial services to people affected by mental health conditions.
In the wake of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, thousands of Iraqi people are in need of comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support. Increased psychological stress levels due to the conflict have resulted in debilitating mental health disorders among the population, and comprehensive psychosocial support is urgently required in the country. The overall objective of the training session was not only to build the capacity of primary and mental health care professionals but also to enable them to replicate their enhanced capability by training others in their respective area of work.
Mental health and psychosocial support is one of the essential components of health service delivery and plays a vital role in humanitarian crises. The stresses, impact and uncertainty of war – where thousands may be injured or lose relatives and friends – make the need for mental health counseling and treatment an absolute necessity.
“Mental and psychosocial support is one of WHO’s biggest priorities. Our major task is to ensure that mental health is integrated into the primary health care system in Iraq, given the challenges and psychosocial trauma many Iraqis are currently facing,” said Dr. Adham Ismail, Acting WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq.
“WHO is committed to enhancing and building sufficient mental health human resource capacity at lower level health care centres in camps for internally displaced persons and in host and return communities,” he added.
Large numbers of people in Iraq are affected by psychosocial challenges but have limited access to mental health services at all levels due to the acute shortage of mental health professionals. Insufficient focus on much needed interventions in the past has been due to a lack of sensitization regarding the issue. Currently, the country has a limited number of health workers trained in the use of the WHO mhGAP Interventions Guide (mhGAP-IG). This number does not match the magnitude of severe mental disorders affecting internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities.
Following WHO’s operational guidance on mental health and psychosocial support programming in emergency response operations and WHO’s Iraq Mental Health Plan of Action, health workers attending the training session were trained in how to deal with most common mental health conditions based on WHO international standards. Following the training session, they will also receive mentoring and on-the-job training in their areas of service provision using the mhGAP-IG to meet the needs of people with mental health disorders.
The training session was made possible by the generous contributions of the United States Agency for International Development Office (USAID) and The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which funded the project and supported the initiative.
The current training programme closely aligns with the goal of prioritizing primary health care services in the community and reducing referral health care within the framework of WHO’s comprehensive mental health action plan. This in turn will promote global interest by delivering mental health services and medicines, reaching health facilities in high-risk governorates, and facilitating the integration of services within national health systems.
Health workers attending the training session were trained in how to deal with most common mental health conditions based on WHO international standards. Following the training session, they will also receive mentoring and on-the-job training in their areas of service provisionBaghdad, 28 October 2018 – A 5-day Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) training session for 25 primary health care professionals from health facilities operating in camps for internally displaced persons in Ninewa and Dahuk has concluded. WHO supported the meeting that was jointly convened by Dahuk Directorate of Health with the aim of equipping health professionals with knowledge and skills to deliver mental health and psychosocial services to people affected by mental health conditions.
In the wake of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, thousands of Iraqi people are in need of comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support. Increased psychological stress levels due to the conflict have resulted in debilitating mental health disorders among the population, and comprehensive psychosocial support is urgently required in the country. The overall objective of the training session was not only to build the capacity of primary and mental health care professionals but also to enable them to replicate their enhanced capability by training others in their respective area of work.
Mental health and psychosocial support is one of the essential components of health service delivery and plays a vital role in humanitarian crises. The stresses, impact and uncertainty of war – where thousands may be injured or lose relatives and friends – make the need for mental health counseling and treatment an absolute necessity.
“Mental and psychosocial support is one of WHO’s biggest priorities. Our major task is to ensure that mental health is integrated into the primary health care system in Iraq, given the challenges and psychosocial trauma many Iraqis are currently facing,” said Dr. Adham Ismail, Acting WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq.
“WHO is committed to enhancing and building sufficient mental health human resource capacity at lower level health care centres in camps for internally displaced persons and in host and return communities,” he added.
Large numbers of people in Iraq are affected by psychosocial challenges but have limited access to mental health services at all levels due to the acute shortage of mental health professionals. Insufficient focus on much needed interventions in the past has been due to a lack of sensitization regarding the issue. Currently, the country has a limited number of health workers trained in the use of the WHO mhGAP Interventions Guide (mhGAP-IG). This number does not match the magnitude of severe mental disorders affecting internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities.
Following WHO’s operational guidance on mental health and psychosocial support programming in emergency response operations and WHO’s Iraq Mental Health Plan of Action, health workers attending the training session were trained in how to deal with most common mental health conditions based on WHO international standards. Following the training session, they will also receive mentoring and on-the-job training in their areas of service provision using the mhGAP-IG to meet the needs of people with mental health disorders.
The training session was made possible by the generous contributions of the United States Agency for International Development Office (USAID) and The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which funded the project and supported the initiative.
The current training programme closely aligns with the goal of prioritizing primary health care services in the community and reducing referral health care within the framework of WHO’s comprehensive mental health action plan. This in turn will promote global interest by delivering mental health services and medicines, reaching health facilities in high-risk governorates, and facilitating the integration of services within national health systems.
