Executive director Anil Thapliyal attended the Mental Health Conference organized by eMHIC member organization, the Institute of Mental Health Singapore. The theme for this highly engaging event was “Co-Creating Our Mental Health Ecosystem,” which highlighted the importance of collaboration for positive population-wide mental health outcomes. The event aligned with eMHIC’s firm stance on the importance of collaboration between local and international healthcare professionals, the education and social sectors, service users, and caregivers. Through collaboration and the sharing of practices and forming collaborative networks, we can advocate together for better mental health.
Several themes were explored during the event, including Wellbeing at Work, Resilience for Children and Youth, Mental Wellness in the Silver Years, and Enhancing Mental Health with Technology. The event included panel discussions, dialogues, and short film screenings.
The event was made possible by the deft leadership of Dr. Daniel Fung alongside Weng Mooi Tan, Dr. Swapna Verma, See Yen Theng, and Tay Choon Hong. Executive director Anil Thapliyal reflected, “It was an absolute honor to meet Sun Xueling, Singapore Minister of State, Ye Kung Ong, Minister of Health, and witness firsthand how political mandate is synergistically supporting and cohesively shaping mental healthcare.” In addition, Dr Patrick McGorry from Australia and Robyn Shearer, Deputy Chief Executive of NZ Ministry of Health delivered brilliant keynote addresses on international perspectives.
“The launch of the national mental health and well-being strategy by Singapore was so very well thought through. It is so good to see an eMHIC member state having such visionary leadership and getting it right by design,” said Executive Director Anil Thapliyal.
Key takeaways from the strategy:
9) Besides primary care, MOH will also develop other first-stop touchpoints such as a national mental health helpline and text service, and digital mental health platforms to allow more people to self-help or access help quickly.
24) There is potential to leverage digital technologies to enable greater access to mental health resources with more privacy and less stigma. Currently, individuals with mental distress can go to HPB’s one-stop online portal MindSG for relevant e-resources. They can also use mindline.sg, a digital mental health and wellness platform for self-help developed by MOHT. This will be further enhanced to align with Healthier SG care protocols for anxiety and depression at later stages.
