H. Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay

(Editor’s note: Press – Department of Communications). The plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies Sobre Tablas approved a draft declaration “Which urges the executive branch to regulate Law No. 7018 on mental health” at the request of deputies Maria Constantia de Benítez (PLRA-Guaira) and Arnaldo Valdes Noguera (PLRA-Misiones).

The aforementioned law, among its main objectives, is intended to ensure the right to mental health care for all people and humanized care, focused on the person and his psychosocial context, which does not isolate the user from his environment.

For the initiators, the regulation of this project is of paramount importance, given that the cases of this disease have increased since the pandemic, and it is urgent to work adequately to contribute to the improvement of this disease.

Indeed, Article 41 of the above provision establishes that “the executive branch will regulate this law within 90 (ninety) days after its promulgation”, which happened in November 2022.

Importantly, the aforementioned law established the National Mental Health Authority under the Ministry of Public Health and Welfare to develop and implement the national mental health policy; and the establishment of the National Mental Health Observatory to periodically collect and organize information from around the country on mental health.