Vikram Nair on advancing mental health

Professional mental healthcare must be made more affordable and accessible, and both the Government and employers can play an important role in this, said MP Vikram Nair in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 7). He said the Government should encourage insurers to cover or provide for mental health assistance as a rider. Workplaces should also provide access to mental health assistance for employees as a benefit - for instance, access to trained psychologists or counsellors through Employee Assistance Programmes. He said such programmes could be made more widely available through legislation and by providing tripartite support to SMEs to implement them. Financial barriers to getting professional help for mental health conditions should also be reduced for students and the elderly, he said. Mr Nair also asked the Government to share how it tracks the effectiveness of its outreach programmes on spotting early indicators of mental health issues and encouraging help-seeking.