Children are our future, and their mental health needs our attention now more than ever. “The way we treat our children today is the way they will treat the world tomorrow,” says Slovakia’s Minister of Health Kamil Šaško, for whom the mental health of children and young people is truly a key priority.
During a visit this summer to Hráň, the only psychiatric facility for children in Slovakia, the minister promised to bring together an interdepartmental task force at the ministerial level to set up systemic measures that will provide greater safety and more accessible support for the rising generation. “In Slovakia, we have 48 child psychiatrists. One school psychologist covers seven schools. We have only one children’s psychiatric hospital with 60 beds. And there are counties with not a single bed for acute child psychiatric patients. At the same time, one in four to five young people in Slovakia struggles with mental health issues, ranging from addictions to serious mental disorders,” the minister points out, highlighting a negative trend society cannot ignore. “Our task is to change this trajectory and create conditions in which children feel safe at home with their families, at school, on the street, and even online,” Šaško adds.
A topic that brings society together
In early September, representatives of five ministries – health, interior, justice, education, and labor, social affairs and family – met around one table. Also invited were the children’s ombudsman and a representative of the youth parliament. Only through joint efforts can systemic and effective solutions be put into practice. “This is a textbook example of a cross-departmental issue that unites us through its human dimension. It’s about our children, and the way we treat them today is how they will treat us and the world tomorrow,” Minister Šaško stresses.
Minister of Health Kamil Šaško at a press conference.
National hotline and European investment
Under the Ministry of Health, a free and anonymous National Mental Health Hotline – 0800 193 193 – has been launched and is available daily. In the coming years, three new psychiatric day centers for children will be built in Martin, Bratislava, and Prešov, along with two specialized centers for autism spectrum disorders in Prešov and Turiec. Together, this represents an investment of nearly 2.5 million EUR from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Equally important is the human resources development strategy, which will emphasize psychology and child and youth mental health.
Concrete solutions by spring
Based on the conclusions of the existing Government Council for Mental Health, the interministerial working group is tasked with developing by March next year a clear concept for strengthening and supporting children’s and youth mental health in Slovakia. “The mental health of children is a matter that unites the whole of society and determines what kind of future we will create together,” concludes Minister Šaško.
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