Almost two years after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, this health crisis continues to threaten the holistic wellness of the global population, including mental health.
This is made worse by the findings of the World Health Organization's (WHO) mid-2020 survey which revealed a significant disruption in services for mental, neurological, and substance abuse disorders during the pandemic.
But over the same period of time, WHO also stated that "governments from around the world recognized the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels."
The Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), in celebration of the 2021 World Mental Health Day on October 10, joins the worldwide initiative to talk about the steps it is undertaking as well as its future plans in support of this goal.
LOOK: PS-DBM employees constantly participate in mental health activities and programs as proof of the agency’s commitment to make mental health care accessible to all.]
Through its Human Resource Development Division, the PS-DBM continues to initiate programs and activities to raise awareness on mental health at the workplace, among which are the regular five-minute routine break; distribution of anti-stress kits, notes, and snacks; and facilitation of workshops on psychological first aid training and stress management, among others.
Meanwhile, future plans include the conduct of more training such as the Filipino Psychology Online Orientation; workplace counseling; movie break; and focus group discussions on establishing support system among employees.
All these efforts are anchored on the PS-DBM's comprehensive Mental Health Program that was officially launched in December 2020.
This proves that the PS-DBM commits itself to making mental health care a reality for all its employees — which is what this year's event theme aims to highlight.