RI to host post-tsunami mental health meeting

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

International mental health experts are scheduled to meet in Jakarta early next week to devise a psychosocial program for people traumatized by the Dec. 26 tsunami, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

The meeting is being held at the initiative of Indonesia's foreign ministry and the Non-Aligned Movement Center for South- South Technical Cooperation (NAM CSSTC), foreign ministry spokesman Yuri Thamrin announced in Jakarta.

The two-day meeting will begin on Monday.

The objectives of the meeting are to get a common understanding of the psychosocial support required in complex emergencies and identify existing mental health problems and share experiences in dealing with mental health problems in the aftermath of a tsunami.

"The meeting will also identify issues to be addressed in improving intersectoral collaboration among major stakeholders in the provision of psychosocial support," Yuri said.

"It will then recommend that the affected countries undertake specific measures and provide explicit assistance for tsunami survivors," he said.

"Indonesia, as the country worst affected by the tsunami, is in dire need of the experts and adequate instruments to help survivors in Aceh and North Sumatra," he said.

The catastrophe claimed more than 200,000 lives in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, where foreign aid such as food and financial aid has poured in to help ease the burden of the survivors.

A number of survivors in affected countries who lost family members have been traumatized and desperately need psychological help.

He said that experts from countries affected by the tsunami such as Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia would take part in the meeting, while experts from Japan, Australia, the United States, Turkey, Iran and international organizations would give input.

"Our initiative to hold an experts' meeting shows our commitment to support the efforts of affected countries and the international community in providing assistance to those experiencing serious psychosocial problems," Yuri said.