The Spanish Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, opened on Wednesday a conference on mental health, organised by the Institution, in which experts and representatives of associations and civil society analysed, among other issues, the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of citizens, the response capacity of the health system, both in primary care and in hospital care and nursing homes resources, and what is expected of the new Strategy and the 2022-2024 Action Plan.
Ángel Gabilondo stressed that ‘we must heed the lament of a society that demands urgent and priority mental healthcare’ and pointed out that this ‘great social challenge’ must be tackled from an epidemiological and population perspective and from ‘the solidarity and commitment of society as a whole’.
The experts and representatives of associations who took part in the conference agreed on the lack of specialised professionals, and warned that in five years there will be no generational replacement to cover the current demand for healthcare professionals.
In addition, they were in favour of prioritising attention to vulnerable groups such as minors, the elderly and people who already had mental disorders prior to the pandemic, and urged the inclusion of emotion management in the educational sphere.
