By Hannah Torregoza

Sen. Risa Hontiveros welcomes DOH move to create new hotline for mental health awareness campaign but still hopes for a better public, private partnership in the implementation of the mental health law.

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday welcomed the Department of Health’s (DOH) commitment to establish a new hotline that would cater to the needs of Filipinos suffering from mental health problems.

Hontiveros issued the statement after reports surfaced that the DOH and the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF) is separating hotline operations after DOH withdrew its financial support for the organization in compliance with government procurement laws.

“The Department of Health has established that they will provide a specific hotline under their jurisdiction,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“ We look forward to proper coordination between Natasha GOLDBOURN Foundation’s Hopeline initiative and the DOH’s new service, so that we can see convergent and efficient progress in the collection of data and the appropriate attention to individual cases of mental health issues in the Philippines,” Hontiveros said.

NGF is a non-profit organization advocating mental health awareness and wellness, and suicide prevention. It created the Hopeline Philippines or HopelinePH, a national intervention hotline designed for suicide prevention and emotional crisis intervention.

In 2016, HopelinePH partnered with the DOH and the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) as part of the government’s mental health awareness campaign. But last Wednesday, the group announced it is ceasing operations, after the DoH confirmed it is withdrawing financial support to the group.

To sustain its services, HopelinePH responders have set up a GoGetFunding account to raise money.

“I’m grateful that Hopeline has found a way to continue operating, and I am confident that the impact should be minimal now that it has secured independent funding,” Hontiveros said.

“I hope for stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors as we ensure the consistent availability and maximum support of this service,” added the senator.

“We are confident that the Department of Health will properly inform the public once their hotline service becomes available,” she further said.

Hontiveros said maintaining these hotline services is crucial in the implementation of the Philippine Mental Health Law or Republic Act No. 11036, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed in June 2018.

“Although the Mental Health Law is an undeniable milestone in the Philippines, we still have a long way to go when it comes to breaking down the longstanding wall of stigma,” Hontiveros said.

“A hotline removes a significant layer of that wall, and allows people and institutions to be connected in times when it matters the most,” she stressed.

“The government’s commitment and priority must be the mental health of the Filipino people. We must sustain our people’s line to essential hope,” she said.