The Ministry of Health and UNICEF launch the programme “Promotion of family and child health”

ATHENS, AUGUST 22,2024—In the framework of the implementation of the National Public Health Prevention Programme "Spyros Doxiadis", a programme agreement between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF was signed today, Thursday, 22 August 2024, in the presence of the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, the Alternate Minister of Health, Dr. Eirini Agapidaki and the UNICEF Representative in Greece, Dr. Ghassan Khalil for the implementation of the programme “Promotion of family and child health”.  

The Programme is funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU, Greece 2.0 and will be implemented by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the UNICEF Country Office in Greece, which will provide technical support based on its international  experience and expertise,  in cooperation with a number of coordinating bodies and strategic partners, including  Paediatric Societies and Pediatricians’ Associations, as well as academia, civil society organizations and research centers.

Minister of Health, Αdonis Georgiadis, said about the signing of the Programme:

"Young people's mental health is a multi-dimensional challenge that requires collaboration between family, school and state to effectively manage and support it. Information and education from an early age can help young people to recognize and manage their feelings. In this context, the programmatic agreement between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF is a very important initiative that focuses precisely on developing educational programmes through an integrated approach to promote family and child health at the national level. " 

Alternate Minister of Health, Eirini Agapidaki, said about the signing of the Programme:

"Today's agreement marks an important step towards strengthening the mental health of children and adolescents in our country. The Ministry of Health's collaboration with UNICEF, an organization with global reach and experience, is a great opportunity for us to implement practices and interventions that have proven to be effective internationally. Through this programme, we seek to provide meaningful support to every family, focusing on prevention and early intervention. At the heart of this effort is our commitment to create a safe and supportive environment for every child and family in Greece."

UNICEF Representative in Greece, Ghassan Khalil, stated: 

“Placing children’s physical and mental health at the core of our programmatic interventions in Greece, we are pleased to announce yet another major partnership with the Ministry of Health, this time focusing on effective public health interventions that address a series of factors that affect children’s mental health in the country. We look forward to the successful rollout of the Programme, bringing together key partners in the implementation stages.”

What the programme includes 

The Programme consists of three pillars and will implement actions targeting three groups, based on age, covering from childhood to post-adolescence:

• Pillar 1 is dedicated to Family and Child Health promotion through the Paediatric Framework. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical and mental health are interrelated and influenced by socio-economic and environmental factors. It is documented that when central health policy planning in paediatric settings is oriented towards and focuses on family care, supporting pediatricians in implementing screening and referral practices for developmental issues significantly enhances the ability to provide a more comprehensive and systematic response to the needs of family members and thus children. 
• Pillar 2 focuses on the promotion of menstrual health of Adolescent Girls through period destigmatization. Gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty, and lack of basic services often cause their Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) needs to go unmet. Adolescent girls may face stigma, harassment, and social exclusion during menstruation, which can have several repercussions on their mental health.
• Pillar 3 aims at promoting adolescent and youth mental health (17 – 24 years old) by addressing the phenomenon of self-aggressive and hetero-aggressive behaviour, violence and destruction. That is, whether we have self-destructive behaviour e.g. self-harm, or violence and aggression towards others.   

Each pillar will roll out a number of work packages encompassing a wide range of actions, such as data collection and raising public awareness, the implementation and monitoring of interventions and the development of trainings and educational material for professionals, as well as the establishment and operation of a Model Community Center together with the provision of integrated mental health services.   

Through the National Programme the Ministry of Health, with the support of UNICEF aims to improve the health of children, adolescents, young people and families by strengthening family health systems. Aiming to create an integrated approach to promoting family and child health nationwide, the objectives of the National Action include:

• The establishment of a comprehensive national programme that focuses on early detection of developmental disorders in children and anxiety/depression in parents/caregivers, utilizing the role of paediatricians as the first point of contact with the healthcare system and connection of families with available mental health services.
• Development of a health promotion programme for adolescent girls through period destigmatization. The programme will include the creation of training material and the planning of seminars as well as targeted actions to de-stigmatise period and tackle period poverty. 
• Addressing the phenomenon of self-aggressive and hetero- aggressive behaviour  for the first time in Greece, through the development of a Model Community Centre for the provision of specialized mental health services. The Model Community Centre will offer free of charge comprehensive services to the population and young people 17-24  experiencing such problems and to their families; in the remote parts of the country, the population will be able to receive support sessions through telepsychiatry; additionally, experts from the Center will also supervise other specialists who will provide services throughout the country. The Center will also conduct outreach activities to ensure the community is aware of the Centre's services and to encourage young people in need to seek help.