The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) continues to provide support to Antigua and Barbuda through the overall strengthening of its mental health services, one key component for policy and strategic changes is its legislation.
The PAHO team, led by Dr. Taraleen Malcolm, Advisor for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, spent four days at several meetings and media appearances to discuss the new mental health bill, which is in its latter stages of completion. This process began over three years ago, with stakeholder consultations from a wide cross-section of society, from healthcare providers and service users to civil society and faith-based organizations. The drafting process, guided by Dr. Soumitra Pathare, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of the Indian Law Society, sought to ensure the contents of the mental health bill are patient-centred and firmly grounded in human rights.
During the mission, the PAHO team met with the Hon. Sir Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs; Senator Michael Joseph, Minister of State; and other senior ministry officials including the Permanent Secretaries and Chief and Deputy Chief Medical Officers.
Minister Joseph informed, “We are moving away from outdated models to ensure that persons living with mental health conditions receive dignified, community-based care.”
A recently purchased facility intended for mental health and wellness services was visited with a discussion on how the facility can support a vision for deinstitutionalization and strengthen the country’s mental health care continuum. The ministry has invited PAHO to provide technical guidance on defining the facility’s role and function, including its place in the wider system of care.
Public outreach was a major focus of the mission. The PAHO team joined Dr. Teri-Ann Joseph, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and mental health focal point, on primetime Antigua Broadcasting Service (ABS) Television, Pointe FM’s popular “Browne and Browne Show,” and the Sunday Forum on FM93.5.
Dr Malcolm revealed that in many countries, a large proportion of persons in the psychiatric hospital are social cases. “Most of the persons in the psychiatric hospital do not need institutional psychiatric care; they need social support. This requires collaboration across ministries, including the Welfare Department.
The Browne and Browne Show is Prime Minister, Hon. Gaston Browne’s radio program. Here, the team also shared various aspects of the bill and answered questions submitted by listeners. The Prime Minister shared a personal story about how his family experienced mental health challenges and he made a commitment to ensure that mental health in Antigua and Barbuda is indeed patient-centred and managed in the community. He also agreed with the importance of deinstitutionalization and assured the government’s commitment to a responsive system to meet the needs of the public.
“You have an advocate in me. I see myself as someone who has an obligation to assist not only in the parliament of Antigua and Barbuda but in terms of global advocacy on an issue that has not been properly resourced and given sufficient attention,” said Hon. Gaston Browne.
PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, Dr. Amalia Del Riego, referred to the mission as a major milestone. “This mission to support the finalization of the mental health bill in Antigua and Barbuda marks a pivotal moment in the region’s commitment to advancing mental health reform. PAHO/WHO is proud to have accompanied this process, which reflects a deeply consultative, rights-based, and patient-centred approach to legislation. We commend the leadership of Antigua and Barbuda not only for its national efforts, but also for its instrumental role in shaping the 2025 Organization of American States (OAS) resolution on mental health, which places mental well-being at the heart of the hemispheric health agenda”.
PAHO/WHO remains fully committed to supporting Antigua and Barbuda in the implementation of this landmark bill and in strengthening community-based mental health care; integrate services within primary health care; and build multi-sectoral capacity for prevention, treatment, and psychosocial support.
Together, we are building a future where mental health is treated with the dignity, urgency, and the inclusiveness it deserves. – SOURCE PAHO
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