Mental health and psychosocial support aspects of disaster preparedness in the Maldives

Abstract

The tsunami has been instrumental in motivating the Government of the Maldives to give high priority to mental health and psychosocial support services. Moreover such services will be delivered in a co-ordinated manner in the long-term. The Maldives had particular problems in responding to the tsunami and these were a result of large geographical spread of small islands, communication difficulties and limited work force. However, voluntary organizations became active very rapidly and also responded beyond the call of duty. This, combined with clear chain of command, helped generate proper response. As a result not only was the immediate response to the tsunami well organized, clear plans for the long-term mental healthcare and delivery of services are being developed, which includes not only mental health services, but also mental health policy and legislation. Also, a disaster preparedness plan which includes mental health and psychosocial aspects is under way, indicating that a future disaster will find the Maldives better prepared to respond to it.