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“Building back better”: Task shifting is the way forward for Sri Lanka to address maternal mental health in the economic crisis

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Maternal mental health is a global priority. Like other low-and middle-income countries, maternal mental health issues are highly prevalent in Sri Lanka. While the country claims to have achieved a satisfactory level of maternal health care indicators in the Southeast Asian region, maternal mental health care remains ignored. The COVID-19 pandemic followed by the economic crisis of 2022 has worsened the situation in the country by increasing the prevalence of maternal mental health issues and limiting the availability of and capacity of the country to allocate resources for the healthcare provision for maternal mental health issues. Integrating task-shifted, non-specialist based, mental healthcare into the existing maternal healthcare programme is considered a cost-effective approach in addressing maternal mental health. In this article, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of employing task shifting to address maternal mental health issues in Sri Lanka. • Maternal mental health care remains ignored in Sri Lanka. • Sri Lanka has limited capacity to allocate resources for maternal mental healthcare. • Task-shifting is a cost-effective approach to addressing this problem.

Source: Asian Journal of Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104234

Authors: Oshini Sri Jayasinghe, Asiri Hewamalage, Siham Sikander, Atif Rahman, Athula Sumathipala

Institutions: University of Liverpool, Institute for Research and Development

Language: English

Topic: Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,610