Baku, April 12, AZERTAC

As part of the European Union (EU) funded Coordination and Transformation of Mental Health Services in the Post-conflict Settings project, implemented by World Health Organization (WHO) Azerbaijan, a training program took place at Barda District Central Hospital in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and TABIB.

MhGAP is a practical approach to improving access to mental health services in countries. Since its launch in 2008, mhGAP has been implemented to more than 100 countries, allowing many individuals to receive treatment for epilepsy, schizophrenia, and depression as well as suicide prevention and helped people live healthy lives even in areas with limited resources.

Previously qualified national trainers Dr. Nigar Novruzova from the Ministry of Health and Dr. Malahat Osmanli from TABIB delivered the training that aimed to equip primary care physicians with skills to identify, manage, and refer the most common mental health disorders.

The training also covered sessions on mental health disorders such as clinical depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and stress, as well as basic principles of providing appropriate support to individuals seeking help. Role-plays and group work were organized in order to enhance practical skills.

The Coordination and Transformation of Mental Health Services in Post-conflict Settings is an EU-funded project implemented by WHO Azerbaijan to improve mental healthcare services at the primary care level.

The project aims to help establish a multidisciplinary coordination mechanism for MHPSS and to build mental healthcare response capacity in PHC facilities. This project is part of the European Union's and the WHO's continued support to Azerbaijan.