Department of Health

Receiving Officer 01:05 PM, Nov 24, 2022

November 24, 2022

Dear Mary Chris,

Thank you for your request dated Nov 24, 2022 10:20:01 AM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch, for Monthly Suicide Rate.

We received your request on Nov 24, 2022 10:20:01 AM and will respond on or before Dec 15, 2022 10:20:01 AM, in accordance with the Executive Order's implementing rules and regulations.

Should you have any questions regarding your request, kindly contact me using the reply function on the eFOI portal at https://www.foi.gov.ph/requests/aglzfmVmb2ktcGhyHQsSB0NvbnRlbnQiEERPSC02OTcyNzA5MTc0NjEM, for request with ticket number #DOH-697270917461.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

FOI Receiving Officer
FOI Officer

Maker 02:25 PM, Nov 25, 2022

November 25, 2022

Dear Mary Chris Cayetano,

Greetings!

Thank you for your request dated Nov 24, 2022 10:20:01 AM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch.

Your Request

You asked for Monthly Suicide Rate.

Response to Request

Your FOI request is approved. 

Thank you for your interest in Mental Health. Please refer to the Mental Health Program at https://www.doh.gov.ph/national-mental-health-program for an overview of the services we provide.

Attached is the National Survey for Mental Health and Well-Being (NSMHW) which will provide the prevalence of mental health conditions in the country. We are also yet to set up an integrated national Suicide Registry system but data on suicide deaths may be obtained from the Philippine Health Statistics (classification of cause of death as suicide, accidental poisoning, other accidents and undetermined injury), we may also use the police and hospital records but these are not yet consolidated.

In the meantime, we would like to share with you the Mental Health Atlas 2020 (attached) as reference. This is our country profile (https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/mental-health/mental-health-atlas-2017-country-profiles/phl.pdf?sfvrsn=7d8915ac_1&download=true) as of 2017. In connection, the mental health investment case for the Philippines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91RfuYLpjqc) was launched by the Department of Health and the United Nations in Manila on 13 October 2021 to address the gaps and where we might invest to improve mental health systems. 

We prioritize through the use of the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) at https://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/en/. The mhGAP focuses on services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders specifically in the 9 priority conditions: depression, psychosis, epilepsy/seizures, developmental disorders, behavioral disorders, dementia, alcohol use, drug use and self-harm.

As for the requested regional data, you may access the regional office directory here at https://www.doh.gov.ph/regional-office-directory, and directly ask the regions that may have the data you are looking for, or ask them on specific facilities that may have the data.

I have attached some file for your perusal. 

Thank you


Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to the Central Appeals and Review Committee, at foi@doh.gov.ph. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 15 calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result within 30 calendar days from the date when we receive your review request.


If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011).

Thank you.

Respectfully,

FOI Decision Maker
FOI Receiving Officer

Attachments:
 NSMHW-Report-and-Policy-Recommendations-2-1.pdf