The Health Ministry says an average of three mental health illness cases per month involving children and adolescents have been recorded at St Giles Hospital over the past six months.
Responding to The Fiji Times on the contents of a UNICEF report “The State of the World’s Children 2021”, the ministry said the numbers may not reflect the true burden as most individuals did not go to St Giles Hospital given the stigma associated with visiting the mental health facility.
“Other partners like the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts (MEHA), NGOs like Lifeline Fiji, Empower and Medical Services Pacific may have additional figures for cases they may see,” the ministry said.
It also said there were predictions that the mental health after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic would be felt for a long time to come for children and adolescents globally.
However, the ministry said there were actions which could be taken to support mental health of children and adolescents going forward.
“These include (i) investing in their wellbeing early on (in the first decade), (ii) foster family-friendly policies and nurturing environments at home, (iii) invest in age and gender sensitive child and adolescent mental health interventions, (iv) promote physical activity and good nutrition for young people, (v) make schools a safe place for positive mental health.”
