Brazilian Health Ministry announced on Tuesday a
package of measures to expand, in 18 states, the network of basic assistance to alcohol and drug users and patients with mental disorders.
The actions, which will have a budget of 98 million reais (56 million U.S. dollars) a year,
plans to open 73 new Centers of Psychosocial Care (CAPS) and provides financial incentives for patients in crisis short admissions.
Adding new resources, investment in the sector reach 215 million reais (122 million dollars) annually, and the total number of CAPs nationwide will raise to 1,467 units, about one for every 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 246 per percent compared to the year 2002.
"In seven years, the coverage of mental health care has grown from 21 percent of the population to 60 percent," said the general coordinator for Ministry's Mental Health Program,Pedro Gabriel Delgado.
Among the current operational CAPs, 1,020 are devoted to the attention of psychoactive drugs users. The number of psychiatric beds in general hospitals will also be extended, to increase the capacity of internment of people in crisis.
Recently, Brazilian press had denounced the inadequate infrastructure of public health care, particularly among drug addicted people.