Authors: Fauziah Rabbani, Samina Akhtar, Javeria Nafis, Shahid Khan, Sameen Siddiqi & Zul Merali
The purpose of this paper was to highlight the advantages of adopting the WHO’s Mental Health Gap Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) Version 2.0 into Pakistan’s Lady Health Worker’s program (LHW-P) curriculum. As the current LHW program does not include mental health as a curriculum subject, adding this topic from the mhGAP-IG would enable LHW’s to better support communities in non-specialist health settings with handling issues related to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. When coupled with other efforts to increase access to mental health support workers, counselors, and specialists, this curriculum change could help improve affordability of mental health care in Pakistan while reducing the stigma associated with seeking such care outside the home setting.
Link: Addition of mental health to the lady health worker curriculum in Pakistan: now or never
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Resource Topic: Lady health worker (LHW), Mental health, Training
Resource Type: Review
Year: 2023
Region: Asia
Country: Pakistan
Publisher May Restrict Access: No