The World Mental Health Day was marked on 10 October 2018 at the Brown Sequard Mental Health Care Centre in Mauritius in the presence of Dr Hon Anwar Husnoo, Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Myriam Timol, Acting Director General Public Health Services, Dr Laurent Musango, WHO Representative in Mauritius, Dr Nawoor, Regional Director of Jeetoo Hospital and Dr Ameenah Soreefan, Consultant in Charge (Psychiatry). The quality of the cultural programme presented by the patients and staff of the Mental Health Care Centre as well as the exhibition cum sale of creative handmade crafts of the patients from the Occupational Therapy Department captured the attention and interest of all those present.
Dr Hon. A. Husnoo, in his address, explained that ‘mental health is a state of wellbeing that we need to have in order to operate in our daily life, it enable us to do things, work and contribute to the society’. He pointed out that there is no health in the absence of mental health. The Health Minister added that people should be changed their attitudes towards people suffering from mental health problems. He added that ‘very often, mental health problems are associated with changes in society, changes in work conditions, discrimination towards women, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyle, violence, diseases, drug or alcohol addiction and unemployment.’
