Network of online community mental health clinics launched in Dubai

The Emirates Health Services Foundation revealed the development of the “Excellent Services Project for Community Mental Health” with innovative initiatives, including the launch of the network of electronic clinics for community mental health affiliated with Al-Amal Hospital for mental health in Dubai in primary health care centers.

This stage aims to provide comprehensive psychological services close to the patient’s home, train workers in community psychological services and home psychological care teams, and educate patients and their families, through specialized programs, to empower them. socially, psychologically and professionally, and integrate them into society.

In order to keep pace with the global trend of integrating mental health services into primary health care and providing outpatient and remote psychological care, a systematic plan has been developed to implement the project, starting with the ‘development of a service policy to ensure security, confidentiality and quality. in accordance with international best practices, providing the necessary infrastructure and resources and organizing the necessary training workshops, In addition to working for the activation of several clinics in a number of primary health care centers in the emirates of Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and northern emirates.

The total number of home visits is around 2,480 visits from 2018 to 2020 for service recipients in the Emirate of Dubai and the northern emirates, including 160 visits to serve crisis response teams, in cooperation with the competent authorities. psychological consultations reached by the psychological counseling helpline from April 2020 until the end of last August 4,682 psychological consultations.

The Director General of the UAE Health Services Foundation, Dr Youssef Mohammed Al Serkal, stressed the concern to expand the reach of comprehensive and integrated mental health services, in response to the needs of clients and aimed at the community of all categories and all ages. , as part of the Foundation’s efforts to support the National Mental Health Promotion Policy in the United Arab Emirates, to ensure the rights of people with mental illness, to strengthen programs for the prevention and early detection of mental disorders, to prepare a comprehensive statistical database on mental health; and building local and global partnerships to rehabilitate and support mental patients.

For her part, the director of the mental health department, Dr Noor Al Muhairi, explained that the Foundation has made great efforts in recent years to develop, improve and expand the scope of services, and has implemented a program of ” integration of mental health services into health care centers, with the aim of preventing and combating the most common mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, by adopting healthy lifestyles, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and raising community awareness about mental health issues.

The Director of Al-Amal Hospital for Mental Health, Dr Amna Turki Al Ali, stressed the importance of promotional, curative and rehabilitative community mental health services to achieve social and psychological empowerment and to provide a favorable and stimulating environment for patients. , which includes recovery teams for psychological home care services, relapse prevention programs for chronic mental illness cases and a mobile response team. outpatient clinics, in addition to the “speak to be heard” psychological helpline.