“The right to mental and psychological health: issues and challenges” is the theme of a round table organized on Friday in Tangier by the Regional Human Rights Commission (CRDH) of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.
This meeting, which took place in the presence of academics, judicial and security officials, experts and associative actors, is part of the missions of the regional commissions aimed at promoting and disseminating the culture of rights of Man, to deepen the public debate on current issues and to monitor public policies in collaboration with all institutional and civil organizations.
In this regard, the speakers at this round table highlighted the importance of mental and psychological health as an essential component of the general health of individuals, highlighting its link with human rights, the challenges faced by people achieved to strengthen their rights, the means to ensure care respectful of their dignity and their citizenship, as well as the impact of mental illnesses on individuals, the economy and society.
They highlighted the direct impact of the right to mental and psychological health on the lives of individuals, their ability to participate actively in society, to live with dignity and to fully enjoy other fundamental universal rights.
During this meeting, the discussions also revealed the numerous challenges facing the implementation of this right at different levels, as evidenced by the national reports emanating from the competent constitutional institutions.
In this wake, the president of the CRDH of Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, Soulma Taoud, highlighted the role of the commission in monitoring possible violations of the right to mental and psychological health, whether through media, its members or civil society actors, as well as in receiving, studying and processing complaints and grievances related to this right, by formulating appropriate recommendations.
Ms. Toaud, in her speech, recalled the richness of the Moroccan legal arsenal in terms of health rights, ranging from international conventions and treaties ratified by the Kingdom of Morocco, to the adoption of the 2011 Constitution which guarantees citizens the right to health and necessary care.
She also drew attention to the impact of mental and psychological health on physical health and vice versa, emphasizing the need not to dissociate them, while calling for mental health to be given due attention. it deserves, in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), which does not distinguish between these different forms of health.
For his part, Omar Battas, professor of psychiatry and psychiatrist in Casablanca, indicated that the interdependence between mental health and human rights lies in the fact that these pathologies, unlike others, sometimes require treatment and hospitalization. without the patient’s consent, which may restrict their freedom.
This situation, he continued, has led all international conventions relating to human rights to consider this category as vulnerable, requiring protection and access to care respectful of their rights and their human dignity, with appropriate treatment. to their condition, the protection of their personal data and taking into account the deprivation of their civil liberty.
After emphasizing the need to update the legal texts related to this category of the population, Mr. Battas mentioned the needs in infrastructure, as well as in material and human resources for psychiatric treatment, due to the diversity of stakeholders. in the healthcare system.
