First Lady, Fazna Ahmed, emphasised the significance of mental health support on Wednesday, during her virtual address at the high-level roundtable on 'Rethinking Mental Health: A Commonwealth Call to EMPOWER, Care and Transform' held on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.

In her address, the First Lady cited global events such as conflicts which add to cost of living, and climate change which inflict severe levels of anxiety and depression on many.

She also spoke on the challenges in Maldives in providing services and care for mental health patients. First Lady highlighted the significant gaps in mental health systems globally, emphasising the limitations on the availability of mental health professionals, the dispersion of the islands, and limitations in recruitment and long waiting lists.

The First Lady also shared the steps taken to develop mental health services in the Maldives, including adopting the National Mental Health Strategic Plan. She noted that the plan aims to ensure inclusive and effective psychosocial support for mental health issues.

She spoke of the establishment of the Centre for Mental Health at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in March 2019, highlighting plans to expand the national universal health insurance scheme to cover mental health.

In her address, the First Lady also called for more substantial financial investment in mental health services, inclusive access, research, and ensuring practitioners maintain a strict code of ethics in the field. She also spoke on the importance of removing the stigma related to mental health issues.