Spanish
Santo Domingo.- In the framework of World Mental Health Day, the student group Punto de Encuentro called on the authorities due to institutional abandonment and the lack of effective policies to guarantee access to psychological care in the country.
The organization stated that it is not a day to celebrate achievements due to the high costs of treatments and difficulties in accessing both psychological and psychiatric consultations.
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"There is nothing to celebrate when health insurance doesn't cover consultations, treatments are expensive, and hospitals lack staff to meet the demand for mental health care", the movement's leaders indicated. They also denounced that more and more university students are facing anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional crises without receiving support from the authorities of both the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and public health authorities. They added that a series of concrete actions are needed to ensure emotional well-being in the face of so many cases affecting the country. "It is necessary for medical insurance to cover consultations, for specialists to be permanently available in hospitals, and for comprehensive prevention programs to be implemented," said Lisbeth Feliz. Punto de Encuentro Estudiantil proposed the creation of a university program for mental health and emotional well-being that offers free care and safe spaces for dialogue.
