AMMAN —
Head of the Psychologists Association
Nael Al-Adwan said that the office visit
for patients with mental disorders is estimated at JD50 in the private sector
because the doctor sits with a patient for a longer time than peers in other
specialties in the medical field, Khaberni reported.
اضافة اعلان
Adwan spoke to
the backdrop of comments by Hassan Al-Sukhni, head of Al-Karama Psychiatric
Hospital at the
Ministry of Health, who reported that the ministry’s recent
upturn in the psychiatric services reflects an improvement in the quality of
its services, Al-Rai Daily reported.
Adwan, indicating
that psychiatrists have little to do with pricing, said: “Everything is priced
by the Jordan Medical Association.”
He said that
mental illness is like any disease, which requires regular treatment.
Adwan pointed out
that psychiatric treatment is free in the Ministry of Health, and the
Jordanian Royal Medical Services.
He explained that
there is a significant shortage in the number of psychiatrists in Jordan, like
in other countries worldwide, due to the difficulty of specializing in the field,
and the poor financial return for the psychiatrists, compared with other
medical specialties.
He said that many
people regard mental illness a defect, so the patients go to religious clerics
instead, dodging medical specialists.
He asserted that
mental illness is a chronic disease, and may require lifelong treatment.
Sukhni, the head
of the Al-Karama Psychiatric Hospital, affirmed that the ministry’s recent
upturn in the psychiatric services reflects its improved services.
He spoke at a
conference held at the Dead Sea, and organized by the Ministry of Health, the
World Health Organization (WHO), and the
Jordan Media Institute (JMI) on the
role of media in raising awareness on chronic diseases.
He said the
ministry gives significant attention mental health, pointing to the numbers of
specialized doctors and residents, and behavioral therapists, as well as 52
psychiatric clinics in the ministry’s hospitals and health centers.
Psychiatric
clinics are available in all governorates of the Kingdom, which includes a
psychiatrist, a therapist, and a nurse, in addition to the pharmacy containing
psychiatric medications, he said. He noted that all family protection
directorates have a psychiatrist available to evaluate cases, noting that there
are unspecified incentives offered to anyone who visits a psychiatric clinic.
The ministry and
WHO are working to integrate mental health into primary health care, so that,
after receiving the necessary training, General Practitioners, and family
members of a patient are able to investigate and detect cases of mental
disorders, provide counseling and treatment, or refer them to psychiatric
clinics closest to the centers they visit, he added.
According to
Sukhni, the ministry is contemplating the integrattion of mental health and
psychotherapy through public hospitals, with the aim of reducing the stigma.
The aim of which is to provide easy access to these services, by opening
psychiatric clinics in all government hospitals and a number of health centers.
The number of
specialized psychiatrists working in the public sector is 42, while the number
of residing doctors this year is 85, up from 53 in 2017, Sukhni said.
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