Community-based mental health services in the WHO South-East Asia Region

In 2022, the Member States of WHO South-East Asia Region committed to promote and facilitate access to community-based mental health services through the adoption of the Paro Declaration on universal access to people-centred mental health care and services (2). 

The adoption of this declaration was followed by the Mental health action plan for the WHO South-East Asia Region 2023–2030 (3), which has four main objectives. Under Objective 2 – Provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in communitybased settings – it provides an extensive menu of options to expand and strengthen communitybased mental health services in WHO South-East Asia Region Member States. It also contains indicators to track the progress of the expansion of community-based mental health services: 

1. the number of community-based mental health centres that provide care and support options for people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities in the community (e.g. day care centres, rehabilitation centres)1; 

2. the proportion of general hospitals with mental health units; and 

3. the number of supported living facilities – both long and short stay.