VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam has more than 12 million people with mental disorders but only about 20 per cent of them get treatment because there are not enough psychiatrists and not enough funds.

Patients with mental health disorders are instructed to practise meditation at Mai Huong Mental Hospital. Few receive treatment because of a shortage of psychiatrists and funds. (Photo: VNS)
National Mental Hospital 1 director La Duc Cuong said Viet Nam had only 800 qualified mental health doctors – one doctor for every 100,000 people in the total population – much lower than the average world ratio, one doctor for 30,000.

"Viet Nam needs 1,500 additional psychiatrists," Dr Cuong said.

Meanwhile, the country was running a project called "Mental Health Care Within the Community", under which mental health care committees had been established in 75 per cent of localities around the country.

Cuong was commenting on World Mental Health Day yesterday as the World Health Organisation called for increased investment in mental health.

This year's theme of the day is "Investing in mental health", which draws attention to the fact health services are inadequate in most countries, especially developing ones.

WHO said in a press statement that up to 80 per cent of people with mental disorders in developing countries did not receive treatment because these countries spent less than 2 per cent of their total health budget on mental health.

Nevertheless, in July this year the Government approved a programme to support people with mental health problems for the 2011-20 period and a budget of nearly VND8.4 trillion (US$407 million). Forty per cent of the budget will come from the State, 0.5 per cent from international aid and nearly 60 per cent from the community.

Dr Lai Duc Truong, an officer of WHO's Non-communicable Disease Prevention and Control Section said the Government's plan to involve community support in providing health care for people with mental disorders was a good move but would take time to turn into practice.

"Mental health care has been seen as a responsibility of the health sector only," Truong said, adding that social support for people with mental disorders had been "limited for a long time".

He also pointed out that the plan only covered schizophrenia and not other common mental health disorders such as depression.

"Mental health care services do not even exist at district levels", Truong said.

Society's knowledge of mental health problems was still low and there was a stigma attached to mental problems.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News