Today's Edition
Alanood Jasim Alhosani
In today’s world, mental health has become more important than ever before - it is an inseparable part of the health and wellbeing of human societies. Indeed, that aspect of health provides an inherent capability and immunity for dealing with crises pertaining to work, familial pressures, and everyday life problems.
This is particularly the case in relation to problems that exceed human capabilities, such as the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, we live in a world that is fraught with tensions and conflicts that negatively affect everybody, given their outcomes of violence and suffering, among others.
Mental morbidity has also been on the rise globally. One-eighth of the world population, particularly adolescents and young adults, suffer from a mental disorder that could affect their lives, work, and productivity. Increased pressures can be technical, educational, or family-based. There are also psychological burdens that stem from anxiety about keeping pace with accelerating developments and concerns about being left behind.
The UAE is aware of the importance of mental health for its citizens. It has implemented measures and plans to address mental health issues, including several initiatives for both Emiratis and expatriates.
These aim to facilitate access to mental health services, promote a healthy lifestyle that develops adaptation skills to everyday life pressures, and improve mental health research to develop services offered to all individuals living in the UAE.
The steps taken by the UAE culminated in the enactment of the Mental Health Act, which regulates mental healthcare in a way that would respect patients’ rights and ensure the delivery of healthcare by regulating the relationship between patients and the various stakeholders, maintaining patients’ rights and dignity, and reducing adverse effects on the lives of individuals, families, and the community at large.
In order to keep pace with the latest advances in mental health, the new law develops a number of patients’ rights, including respect for mental health patients and providing them with the necessary services in an environment that would maintain their dignity and health. Moreover, it preserves their civil rights, prohibits imposing limitations on their work except based on a specialised medical report, and protects them against humiliating treatment and physical and sexual exploitation.
Likewise, the law pays attention to the patients’ rights to protection of their privacy and confidentiality of their personal information during treatment. They are not to be subject to any experimental treatment or medical research without their consent or the consent of their representative.
The law also provides for the rights of minors to receive mental healthcare that is consistent with their age group and dedicated educational settings in treatment facilities, with a view to ensuring that they can continue everyday activities while undergoing treatment.
Given that follow-up and regulation are fundamental for the success of any system, the law stipulates that every Emirate shall establish a Regulatory and Follow-up Commission whose mandate would be to ensure the protection of patients’ rights and check the compliance of mental health facilities with statutory standards. Violators would be punished with sentences ranging from imprisonment to a penalty of up to Dh200,000.
The Mental Health Act is a new legal document whereby the UAE seeks to offer the highest mental health level, in line with the right to access quality care without being socially stigmatised, deprived of civil rights, discriminated against, or physically exploited.
It is also an important addition to the policies and measures already in place to provide the population with high living standards. This would contribute to enhancing the UAE’s global competitiveness in human development and establish its reputation as a destination for people from all over the world who dream of a place where they can lead a decent life.
The writer is a researcher at TRENDS Research & Advisory.
