Doha, September 29 (QNA) – The Sixth Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit will kick off Monday in Doha under the theme ”Transforming Mental Health through Investment, Innovation, and Digital Solutions”.
The two-day summit will bring together a wide range of health ministers, experts, and specialists from across the world, along with international organizations concerned with mental health.
The primary purpose of the summit is to strengthen international cooperation, share best practices, and develop innovative solutions to improve mental health care systems worldwide.
Its overarching goal is to address mental health as an integral part of public health, social justice, and human rights, in line with UN Human Rights Council resolution on mental health and human rights, as well as UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Building on the momentum of previous summits held in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Buenos Aires, the Doha Summit underscores the urgent need to integrate mental health into public policies.
It also highlights the importance of global commitment to mental health, in line with other international initiatives, including UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases, and WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020–2030.
The Doha Summit will feature a rich program of sessions and events, including two panel discussions and six workshops, alongside a number of side activities.
Policymakers, officials, and specialists will deliberate on pressing mental health issues to develop strategies at the global level.
Following on from the discussions of previous summits, the sixth edition aligns with Qatar’s vision for a future grounded in innovation and sustainable development, with a focus on multiple dimensions of innovation in mental health care.
The summit will examine the growing challenges and opportunities in mental health care in a rapidly changing world, where digital technologies have become an integral part of daily life. These technologies can significantly improve access to services, enhance the quality of care, and reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
By focusing on investment in digital solutions – including digital innovation – the summit seeks to overcome traditional barriers to mental health services, such as geographical constraints and limited resources, and to establish more responsive and personalized care pathways.
Other key areas of discussion include innovations in service delivery and financing, with a focus on meeting the needs of vulnerable populations and developing funding mechanisms to ensure scalability and accessibility of sustainable mental health services.
The summit will also address the digitization of mental health systems and services, implementing digital solutions to streamline care, improve system efficiency, and integrate electronic health records with telehealth platforms to strengthen continuity and accessibility of patient care.
Additionally, the summit will explore the use of tele-mental health services and other internet-based technologies to expand service delivery, overcome geographical barriers, and enhance capacity, with a focus on adopting digital tools for mental health assessments, interventions, monitoring, and follow-up. (QNA)
