Gaining health : analysis of policy development in European ...

Chapter 4
110
been responsible for carrying out the annual pan-Hellenic
fundraising campaign for cancer on behalf of the MHSS. The
costs of the campaign were very high, largely because those
collecting donations were paid. The costs were returned
to the Society, which then applied to the Oncology Committee
of the Central Health Council for funding. Since
the President of the Society is a member of the Oncology
Committee, his proposal for a proportion of the funds
raised to be automatically designated to the Society was
recently accepted by the Committee, thus ensuring regular
funding.
Over the past two years, the MHSS, in collaboration with
voluntary groups and NGOs, has made intensive efforts
in educating women with respect to cancer. For example,
national education campaigns on breast and cervical cancer
through television spots were financially supported by
MHSS.
Given the underdevelopment of PHC, it is not possible to
assess the role of the PHC services in health promotion
and the early detection of cancer. The strenuous efforts
currently being made to improve the evidence base should
shed further light on the challenge of cancer control at all
levels of care.
2.5.3. Mental health
As mentioned above, with a well-known psychiatrist as
Minister for Health, mental health was brought firmly onto
the policy agenda in the late 1990s. A ten-year action plan
was prepared for 2001–2010. This was approved for partial
funding under the third EU support framework and progress
in its implementation is regularly evaluated.
This long-term plan is now being revised to further promote
community-based mental health care. The main aims
are to restructure and reorganize mental health services on
a regional basis, giving priority to rehabilitation, PHC and
outpatient care, and the reintroduction of mental health
patients into the community.
The MHSS has already completed the establishment of
Mental Health Sections in all health regions in the country,
and special committees are now in operation dealing with
mental health and the mental health of children and adolescents.
The main purpose of these committees is to systematically
monitor and evaluate the Mental Health Units in
their area. This includes dealing with any operational problems
and generally coordinating medical and hospital care
for mental health and related administrative, scientific and
educational activities, and supporting the work of the Committee
for the Protection of Persons with Mental Disorders.
In addition, they are to gather epidemiological data on the
mental health of the population in their region. There are
currently 46 Mental Health Sections supervising over 400
Mental Health Units throughout the country.
The strategy for mental health emphasizes the development
of PHC with the creation of psychiatric day-care
centres, health centres with the capacity to carry out pilot
programmes for the provision of mental health care, and
mobile care units. Regarding secondary care, psychiatric departments
for children, adolescents and adults are already
being established in the general hospitals.
The intention is to gradually reduce and finally completely
abolish the old psychiatric hospitals. Already, between
2005 and the end of 2007, five such hospitals have been
abolished. Correspondingly, over the past two decades, 23
mental health departments for adults and 4 for children
have been established in general hospitals. Care in the community
has been considerably increased with the establishment
of mental health centres, day-care centres, mobile
units and family-sized living accommodation.
A “mental health epidemiological map” is to be prepared
in order to provide the information base for the revision
Case studies: policy development in countries for tackling noncommunicable diseases