The healthcare office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines called for the establishment of more community-based mental health services in the country amid the rising number of suicide-related incidents.
Camillian priest Dan Cancino, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Health Care, pressed for more focus on mental health services at the community level.
“This is a priority project and program, where we would want to have more community-based mental health programs,” Father Cancino told Radio Veritas 846 in an interview.
The priest said the call goes out to all institutions, including church-based organizations.
“So far, there are already some dioceses and parishes that have already established their mental wellness programs,” he said.
The National Center for Mental Health earlier reported they have recorded as much as 2,000 suicide-related calls for 2021.
The Philippine Statistics Authority data, on the other hand, recorded no less than 4,000 suicide cases have been recorded in 2020.
