Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Suad Numanović today has spoken at the national consultations on mental health improvement, held in “Podgorica” hotel. Multisector national consultations are organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, with the expert and financial support of the World Health Organisation.

In his introductory remarks, the Committee Chairperson said that it was necessary for our state to continue working on developing services for mental health, with the aim of achieving European standards and creating preconditions for providing quality treatment for the persons with mental problems.   He stressed that the Parliament of Montenegro would always support legislative solutions improving the mental health and status of mentally ill persons, and in that regard pointed out to the importance of decentralisation in development of primary level of health care, as well as with institutions of closed type.

Reminding of the importance of the legal fight against the use of alcohol among those under the age of 18, the Committee Chairperson pointed to the necessity of consistent implementation of the law in preventing this very negative phenomenon and expressed belief that the adoption and the implementation of the new National Mental Health Strategy would serve to this goal as well. The Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare remains open for cooperation and promotion of rights of mentally ill persons and improvement of mental health, Chairperson Numanović said.