Australian High Commission
Colombo
MEDIA RELEASE
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16 December 2011
Australian Help for Mental Health Services in the North
The Australian Government will provide a grant of LKR 35 million to assist the Ministry of Health, and the Sri Lankan College of Psychiatrists to deliver community based mental health services in the Northern Province over the next 12 months. The program will be implemented across the Northern Province, with support from World Vision Australia.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, HE Kathy Klugman said “This program is important in Sri Lanka given high levels of mental illness across the country, and the impact of the conflict on families in the Northern Province in particular. We are glad to be able to support the Ministry of Health’s community mental health programs in the north, as these are an important part of continuing to help people recover in those districts”.
Australia’s support for this program began in October 2010, with an initial grant of LKR50 million to establish the partnership between Ministry of Health, Sri Lankan College of Psychiatrists and World Vision Australia. In the initial phase, the program supported 40 Community Health Extension positions in Northern Province, built 10 community support centres, and assisted in information dissemination to help people access information about mental health and combat stigma.
The initial phase of the program touched the lives of an estimated 18,000 people across Northern Province. Building on this achievement, the next phase is expected to assist about 24,000 people. This partnership is a small but important element of Australia’s LKR4.35 billion development assistance to Sri Lanka in 2011-2012.
Media contact : Sally Mackay on 0773020670