Second Quarter 2002 Newsletter

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The Federations project to place a mental health specialist in the World Banks health planning staff came to an end in March, 2002, at the expiration of the three-year grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Fortunately, the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) under the Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration of the US Government became interested in the project and have taken over its funding.

Florence Baingana, the psychiatrist from Ugandas Ministry of Health who has held the post since 2000, will continue at the Bank as a Senior Health Specialist (Mental Health) on a new one-year appointment. This may possibly be renewed for a further two years.

Deborah Maguire, the Federations Director of Administration, was able to make arrangements with the MacArthur Foundation to extend the grant to the end of April to facilitate the transition to the new funding plan.

The Federation is delighted that support has been found to carry this initiative forward. The placement of a mental health professional at the Bank helped to expand the expertise of its health planning group, and contributed to better contacts between the Bank and the World Health Organization, and between the Bank and its client countries.

Dr. Baingana brought special knowledge of conditions in Africa and the problems of providing mental health services in low-income countries under stress. She also made noteworthy contributions to the Banks analytic work in the area of mental health, as well as in operational work in Lesotho, Burundi and the West Bank and Gaza.

Florence is sure that the collaboration with the World Federation for Mental Health will continue.