|
Back
Inter country
meeting on improving of quality of service in terms of human
dignity and rights of the people with mental disorders
Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt, 9–11 September
2007
Regional Director's message
As many as 450 million people worldwide
suffer from some kind of mental or brain disorder, including
behavioural and substance abuse disorders. One in four families
has at least one family member with a mental disorder. In many
parts of the world, people with mental disorders continue to be
victims of inhumane and outdated modes of care inside large
mental hospitals where conditions are often extremely poor.
People with mental disorders can be particularly vulnerable to
abuse and violation of their rights inside and outside
psychiatric institutions. Stigmatization and the consequent
discrimination against mental illness make the situation even
worse.
Against such a backdrop, the violation of
rights of people with mental disorders literally means the
violation of the rights of humanity at large. The quality of
services has always been a major and important element in the
realization of the dignity and human rights of people with
mental disorders. A focus on quality helps to build trust in the
effectiveness of the system and to overcome barriers to
appropriate care at different levels. It further helps to ensure
that resources are used properly and that the best available
knowledge and practices are used for the benefit of the
patients.
Hence, there is a need for a regional vision
and policy on the dignity and rights of patients, as well
as on methods and assessment tools to evaluate services for
people with mental disorders that are feasible, measurable and
culturally sensitive.
The objectives of the meeting were to:
-
provide an overview of services
for people with mental disorders in terms of human dignity
and the rights of patients;
-
present WHO guidelines and
checklists and exchange regional experiences;
-
agree on recommendations for a
regional policy, methods and tools to evaluate the situation
regarding services for people with mental disorders.
|
