Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has launched the Mental Health Strategy for the emirate.
The strategy known as Happy Lives… Healthy Community is Dubai’s first comprehensive mental health strategy and is applicable to all public and private health entities in the emirate.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’
His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, said: “The strategy demonstrates the commitment of the DHA to build a world-class healthcare system to meet the needs of its residents. It clearly reflects the DHA vision ‘Towards a healthier and happier community.’ It also reflects the greater Dubai 2021 vision for the city of Dubai to be a ‘smart and sustainable city,’ with people who are ‘happy, creative and empowered,’ a society that is ‘inclusive and cohesive,’ and to be ‘the preferred place to live, work and visit.’”
Fatima Abbas, Director of Policy and Strategy Department at the DHA, said: “In line with the overall DHA Health Strategy 2016-2021, we are chalking out specialized health policies which are drafted after a comprehensive analysis of the current situation and after identifying gaps and challenges as well as strengths and opportunities. We also consulted with international organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO) and benchmarking was conducted against high performing systems countries that are demographically and culturally similar to Dubai. The strategy has unified protocols and processes, addresses gaps and builds on systems and processes that will help benefit patients and their family members and provide a high-quality continuum of care for mental health services.”
Abbas added that developing a comprehensive mental health strategy is program number six of fifteen health programs for the overall DHA strategy 2016 to 2021.
Dr. Nadia Dabbagh, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Rashid Hospital and Program Lead for the Mental Health Strategy at the DHA, highlighted that the implementation plan is divided into waves based on the priorities, needs, and resources and according to the four pillars of the strategy, which are:
- Legislation and governance:
- Mental health governance, legislation, and regulation are vital to the successful implementation of this strategy. Dr. Dabbagh, said: “Enactment of relevant and necessary legislation and appropriate regulatory bodies serve as an indispensable foundation to embrace accountability, as well as reflect the commitment, leadership, and patronage. In other words, this foundation will enhance existing legal frameworks as well as support and promote drafted legal frameworks to further improve accountability and operational excellence in the provision of mental health services. At the core of this initiative is the protection of human rights, preserving dignity and empowering people at risk or suffering from mental health problems and disabilities.”
- To establish the proper foundations for a high-quality mental health system by approval of an updated mental health act and to put the processes in place for its effective implementation.
- To oversee, coordinate and integrate the activities of multiple mental health stakeholders through clear leadership and governance.
- Promotion, prevention, and early intervention:
Dr. Dabbagh, said: “Mental health promotion is about improving well-being for all people, regardless of whether they are currently suffering from a mental illness. It is about optimizing people’s mental health by developing conducive environments that foster, support and sustain wellness throughout the lifespan.
“Treatment approaches alone will not reverse current trends towards increasing rates of mental ill-health. Strong evidence exists for the effectiveness of a wide range of positive mental health promotion and prevention programs and initiatives in improving quality of life and/or reducing the risk of developing a mental illness.”
DHA will implement several initiatives such as promoting a healthy start to life, parenting programs, school-based interventions, support for children of parents with mental illness, workplace and occupational stress interventions, recovery-oriented approaches, interventions for older people. Key strategic sectors and stakeholders may include health, education, social affairs, housing, childcare, recreation, employment, prison services, financial and media services, the government and the home.
Under this pillar, the other aims are
To reduce stigma and discrimination and increase the literacy of mental health in the community.
To promote positive mental health and raise awareness of the relationship between physical and socioeconomic factors and mental health and well-being.
- Service delivery and finally recovery
Farah Aqel, Specialist at the Health Policy and Strategy Department at the DHA, said: “Through this model, the emphasis is to move away from relying on hospital facilities to community-based rehabilitation and treatment programs. Mild to moderate cases can be managed in the primary care setting, with appropriate and easy referral to secondary level services for moderate to severe cases. Thus, we will reserve tertiary care for the more complex or severe cases.
Under this pillar, the other aims are:
To establish accessible, community-based services with a focus on reaching out to vulnerable populations.
To establish a comprehensive mental health system through a stepped model of care, providing the least restrictive services that are high quality, responsive, patient-centered, patient-driven and culturally appropriate to Dubai community.
- Patient empowerment programs.
Aqel said, “Our aim is to empower patients to lead fulfilling lives as engaged members of society through developing and rolling out support systems and step-down programs. Recovery and community integration are recognized critical factors in significantly reducing the burden of mental illness on the patient, family and society. Recovery is the product of a dynamic interaction between individual characteristics such as hope, and a sense of meaning and self; environmental factors such as including opportunities for satisfying basic material needs, social relationships, meaningful activities and peer support; and features of the service delivery system including choice and empowerment, independence and interdependence. It is the process of ‘gaining control over one’s life and the illness’ rather than the illness having control over the individual.”
The other aims of this pillar are:
- To establish a proper framework and guidelines for patients to re-integrate into their communities through engaging patients, families, caregivers and other community members and organizations.
- To develop support systems and step-down programs to ensure successful and effective integration with the community through developing and rolling out step-down programs and community-based support systems.
- To reduce the impact of mental illness on individuals, families, caregivers and the community in the long term.
The strategy intends to cover ten mental health development and improvement programs in Dubai by 2021:
- Conduction of research studies in the mental health sector
- Re-organization of the mental health services in the Emirate of Dubai
- Education and training of medical staff working in the field of mental health
- Professional development of mental health professionals
- Provision of mental health assessments and investigations
- Establishment of rehabilitation programs for individuals after suicide attempts
- Support services for suffers from post-traumatic disorders
- Development and implementation of a mental health strategy in Dubai
- Raising community awareness about mental health
- Attraction and retention of professionals in the mental health sector
In addition, all stakeholders will be engaged to ensure the effective alignment of mental health strategy and the related specialized strategies:
- Dubai’s Disability Strategy
- Dubai’s Positive Family Upbringing Strategy
- Early Childhood Development Strategy
- A policy of Reducing Addiction and Treatment of Drug Abuse (Erada Center)
- Healthcare Investment Strategy
Dr. Dabbagh, said: “It is worth noting that Dubai’s mental health strategy is underpinned by ‘guiding principles’ that are based on international evidence-based research and best practice, as well as incorporating the views of local subject matter experts working in Dubai in the field with patients and their families. The key guiding principles include respect for the rights and needs of service users and their families, prevention and early intervention across the lifespan including vulnerable groups, recognition of the spectrum of mental health difficulties and the need for equitable service delivery across the health continuum with a commitment to a recovery-oriented approach and social inclusion.”
She added that the implementation of these initiatives would lead to more accessible, streamlined, efficient, patient-driven and culturally responsive services across the health continuum.
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