Malta Universal Mental Health Declaration

We, global citizens, service users, families, carers, mental health advocates and professionals with an interest in mental health have come together to affirm our belief that services and opportunities for people with mental illness, and their families and carers, can and should be better.

We fight for mental health and well-being for all, with equality of treatment and dignity in experience, as a basic human right.

We recognise that there are many global initiatives that have led to an increase in life expectancy for global citizens with many people living longer and more fulfilling lives, but this is not the case for people with mental illness. Mental disorders rank among the most substantial causes of death worldwide.

The UN has affirmed the right of every human being to enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health without discrimination on any basis. Yet stigma continues to be a barrier to access to good health for many people with a mental health condition because they do not have equality of access to healthcare and other social services. In addition, many people are reluctant or afraid to talk about their mental health for fear of discrimination. Further, co-morbid mental ill-health is increasingly common in patients with chronic physical health conditions.

We support the Astana Declaration, confirming the fundamental right of every human being to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of any kind. We are convinced that strengthening primary health care (PHC) is the most inclusive, effective and efficient approach to enhance people’s physical and mental health, as well as social well-being, and that PHC is a cornerstone of a sustainable health system for universal health coverage (UHC) and health-related Sustainable Development Goals.

Mental health care and social integration for service users and their families must be one of the pillars to achieve this target.

• We call on governments at all levels to ensure that mental health is included in their policies and strategies for universal health coverage, and that people with mental illness and their families are included in the design and implementation of these policies and strategies.

• We call on governments at all levels to ensure that Public policies and laws to support universal health coverage mandate parity of esteem between mental and physical health in consultation with mental health service, users, their families and the professionals who work with them.

• We call on governments at all levels to ensure that there is parity of funding to support promotion of mental health and the prevention and management of mental illness. We urge the United Nations, the WHO and the World Bank to continue their collaboration to ensure parity of funding for mental and physical health.

• We support and advocate for collaboration between primary care, secondary care, social care, mental health services users and their families, carers & communities, society, governments and NGO’s, as a tools to accelerate the delivery of universal health coverage.

• We call on institutions involved in the training of health and social care professionals to make adequate training in mental health mandatory across the world.