Mental health services in SUCs to get boost as House OKs bill on third reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading the bill seeking to strengthen the mental health services in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

House Bill 10284 or the proposed “SUCs Mental Health Services Act” received 201 affirmative votes.

The author of the bill, Bacolod Representative Greg Gasataya said the measure will help address the challenges facing the youth who are under a lot of pressure from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the measure is aimed at helping curb incidences of “self-harm and assist in holistic development through mental healthcare that is responsive to the mental, developmental, and emotional needs of students.”

The bill mandates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to require all SUCs to establish a Mental Health Office (MHO) in all their campuses.

The MHOs would be directed to set up campus hotlines with dedicated and trained guidance counselors to provide assistance to the whole SUC community, especially students.

The personnel of this office should also create a mechanism for timely crisis intervention and suicide prevention for the entire SUC community.

eHealth system

The House also cleared the third reading approval of  the bill seeking to establish an electronic health system and services with the use of information and communications technology in the country.

The House Bill 10245 or the proposed “eHealth System and Services Act” received 197 affirmative votes.

The bill seeks to set policies and projects that promote and ensure safely-regulated delivery of electronic health services in the country.

Quezon 4th district Rep. Angelina “Helen” Tan, who authored the bill, said that the implementation of the eHealth system will bring better health services for all Filipinos.

“Ang pamumuhunan sa eHealth lalo na ngayon na nasa gitna tayo ng pandemya ay kinakailangan upang tiyakin ang pantay na pag-abot sa serbisyong pangkalusugan, lalo na para doon sa mga naninirahan sa geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) at partikular na sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan,” Tan said in a statement.

(Investing in eHealth especially now amid pandemic is necessary to ensure equal access to health services, especially for those living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and particularly our poor fellow countrymen.)

Among the bill’s key provisions are coverage of all eHealth solutions, services and applications, including relevant standard equipment in health and ancillary services that are complementary to existing minimum modalities or standards of health care and other means of access to information.

The measure also set a creation of an independent body also known as the “eHealth Policy and Coordination Council” that would provide relevant policies and promote guidelines for the act’s effective implementation.—Richa Noriega/LDF, GMA News

Mental health services in SUCs to get boost as House OKs bill on third reading
Source: Filipino Viral News PH