Integrating Continuing Care in Community Mental Health

As the mental health budget from Bali’s governor being cut 90%, the Suryani Institute has to work hard to keep on giving their passion in helping the abandon one. There are around 9000 thousand people are still can not get any continuing treatment from government on their mental health condition. And there are around 300 of them were left in restrained.

“The mental health system in the island only want to use Bangli Hospital as the main solution without want to provide an integrated and continuing care in the community”, said Professor Luh Ketut Suryani during her field trip to Buleleng. “The treatment for mentally ill patient is not finish after they discharge from the hospital, but it’s just a start as a long term care need to be created for this patient”, add Suryani as she sees the result of the institute works by providing continuing care to the patient in Buleleng.

“Imagine if we can create an integrated system between hospital and community mental health, I think we will see more evidence that will ended up in happy ending”, said Dr Cokorda Lesmana that had spent one month in Melbourne, Australia to see the Victorian Community Mental Health system. “We don’t have a lot of money like in Australia but we have families and communities that will support the works”, add Dr Lesmana as he accompany the team to see the 8 years man in cage transformed his life to normal and happy life as a family.