WFMH Representatives Visit Taiwan
In July President Elect Pirkko Lahti and Nancy Wallace, WFMH’s MainRepresentative at UN NY, participated in a conference on disaster managementin Taiwan at the invitation of Regional Vice President Chueh Chang. Theconference “Disaster and Mental Health: Interactions among Government, NGOsand International Organizations” on 29-30 July brought togetherprofessionals and volunteer organizations to review the response to Taiwan’sdevastating earthquake on 21 September 1999. (Since that time Taiwan hasexperienced many aftershocks, prolonging the trauma for survivors.)Various NGOs reported on their work to help earthquake survivors, whichincluded both fund-raising to support relief efforts and the directprovision of services. Pirkko Lahti spoke about international activitiesfor mental health, including WFMH’s World Mental Health Day and next year’smental health campaign by WHO. Nancy Wallace spoke about NGO advocacy atthe United Nations, and also discussed the value of NGO advocacy at theregional and local level.
Both visitors were impressed by the way the conference recognized theimportance of the”grassroots” response by volunteers in the crisis. HoweverPirkko Lahti later emphasized the need for advance preparation andrecommended that cooperation between volunteers and professionals should bedeveloped to avoid duplication of effort. Nancy Wallace also felt that itwas important to have an ongoing process to improve the response to naturaldisasters. She also noted that there was an alarming rise in the number ofsuicide attempts after the earthquake, a development that deservedinvestigation.
Before the conference the WFMH representatives took part in a pressconference on consumers’ affairs (28 July) organized by the Taiwan MentalHealth Alliance and cosponsored by the Republic of China Consumer Foundationand the WFMH Western Pacific Region. Among the issues discussed wereconsumers’ rights, violence against women, and inappropriate responses inthe medical system. Eight TV channels and 15 newspapers covered the event,which was the first effort by NGOs to publicize consumers’ concerns.
Pirkko Lahti and Nancy Wallace had a full program of activities during theremainder of their stay in Taiwan. They met with officials from theMinistries of Health and Foreign Affairs, and found a strong interest inmental health as a global issue at both government departments. Inrecognition of this year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Mental Health andWork,” they spent time at an oil refinery where they met with labor leadersto discuss workers’ issues at the refinery and labor organization in thecountry as a whole. They also visited social projects run by the Peng WanRu Foundation to promote the well-being and safety of children. They saw asummer school program for children with behavioral and learning disabilitieswhere traditional calligraphy was taught for its therapeutic value. Theyalso went to a clinic for alternative medicine and mental health.
There is considerable interest in developing a Western Pacific RegionalCouncil for WFMH, and Dr. Yow Hwey Hu heads a preparatory committee for theCouncil. The host group arranging the visit, which included Professors Hu,Chang, Chou and D.T.M. Wu, discussed the structure of WFMH’s Board andpossible ways of proceeding to strengthen regional development.