PARO declaration by the health ministers of Member States at the seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia on universal access to people-centred mental health care and services

Overview

To promote mental health in the Region, Member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region adopted the Paro Declaration committing to Universal Access to People-centered Mental Health Care and Services.

“There is no health without mental health. Increasing investments in mental health, including for preventive and promotive services at the primary care level, reduces treatment costs and increases productivity, employment and quality of life,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.

The Paro Declaration was adopted at the Ministerial Roundtable on addressing mental health through primary care and community engagement on day two of the Seventy-Fifth Session of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee Session.

The Declaration urges Member countries to develop and implement multisectoral policies across the life-course to address mental health risks and reduce treatment gaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that mental health services reach all those in need, close to where they live, without financial hardship.