Deputy Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Emine Alp Meşe attended the launch meeting of the workshop on “Social Inclusion for Persons with Mental Disabilities”. Annual Meeting of Education Institutions was held in Ankara within the framework of the “Social Inclusion for Persons with Mental Disabilities” financed by the European Union (EU) and technically supported by World Health Organization (WHO). Ministry of Health and Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services are the beneficiaries of the project. Delivering a speech at the launch meeting of the workshop, Deputy Minister Prof. Meşe talked about historical developments about mental health, and described how community-based treatment methods were adopted for mentally disabled people in all Islamic communities. However, investments decreased in this area following the economic crisis of 1940s, and closed wards and hospital-based treatment approaches replaced the community-assisted treatment models. “We established Community Mental Health Centers to provide services and meet needs of such individuals. These centers will be even more effective if supported with treatment and rehabilitation services and social services. Working in cooperation with the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services will make important contributions to the inclusion of people with chronic mental diseases. We are well aware of the importance of the community-based service model for provision of high-quality health services for the individuals with mental disabilities, and as Ministry of Health, we taking firm steps for this purpose.” Prof. Alp Meşe said concerning the services provided by the Ministry of Health. Orhan Koç, Director-General of Disabled and Elderly Services from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services also talked about the community dimension of the disability and old age regardless of the income level or status. WHO Turkey Representative Pavel Ursu mentioned about the burden caused by mental disabilities, and underlined importance of protecting mental health for all. “Turkey is a leader country in its region with the activities in this field” added Ursu.
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