Greece can play a leading role in the implementation of the EU’s new strategic approach to mental health, the Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas said on Thursday, in statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
Schinas made the statements on the occasion of a meeting he had with agencies and mental health associations, at the European Commission representation offices in Athens.
Schinas said that the meeting with mental health agencies, which covered a wide range of hospital and outpatient care issues and many categories of the population, took place just one day after the adoption of the European strategy announced on Thursday in Brussels, with 1.2-billion-euro additional financing.
“Greece has a special role in promoting this strategy,” Schinas underlined.
Outlining how Greece can benefit from the new European strategy for mental health, he said that Europe’s role can be catalytic in three areas: First, with the unprecedented resources placed at the country’s disposal for such matters. In particular, he noted that, in addition to the resources of the Resilience and Recovery Fund and the NSRF, Greece will also have 1.2 billion euros for mental health; secondly, in terms of skills, i.e. the abilities needed by health services, doctors, nurses, and facilities; and thirdly, in mobility, with the exchange of best-practice experiences within the EU, which can also be done with European support.
Source: Hellenic News of America
