“We have to emphasize this especially after the pandemic,” he told businessmen gathered by the Association of Marketing Managers (ADM) at a hotel in the capital.
The President pledged that his administration will “proceed” with this task, which will require government spending after mental illness and addiction worsen due to the circumstances imposed by Covid-19.
He made several references to Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF), Azucena Arbeleche, whom he said “is going to fall on her back” because those health targets would mean public spending.
The goals mentioned by the President align with the priorities of the new Minister of Public Health, Karina Rando, who said when she took office that mental health will be a priority for her management.
Rando commented that actions to this end have been defined, including training of human resources who will work in primary care to advance early detection.
Referring to the supplements, he added that projects awaiting debate in Parliament will be assessed in order to prioritize the most appropriate lines of work.
Regarding addictions, he explained that the projects waiting to be dealt with in Parliament will be evaluated to determine which is the most appropriate line.
Mentioning several government programs, he stressed that if the proposals his department will present to the MEF are accepted, there is “a lot of work” to be done by various public institutions.
rgh/ool