Jul 11, 2024
Minister directs agencies to improve mental health and narcotics hotline services
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin directs agencies to ramp up hotline services for mental health and narcotics, emphasizing the urgent need to ensure proper treatment for the 5 million psychiatric patients in the country. He instructs reassessment of budget allocation and urges expedited approval of a legal amendment allowing budget requests from the narcotics control fund for patient treatment. Somsak emphasizes the need for police involvement in handling emergency cases and suggests seeking additional funds or merging with other services for efficiency.