[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

Liberal Party pledge increased funding for mental health services following increase in demand
11th June 2019

The Liberal Party today pledged to increase the health budget, with much of the money earmarked for mental health services. Demand for mental health care has increased rapidly since last year’s civil war, with waiting lists to see a counsellor in all major cities. Use of antidepressants has also risen over the last 12 months.

Liberal Party leader Josephine Alvarez announced in a speech today that if she is the next Prime Minister, then mental health will be a priority for her government. She said: “too many people are currently suffering from poor mental health, waiting to access support that is all too often difficult or impossible to find due to a lack of resources. If elected, ensuring adequate mental healthcare across the country will be a priority for my government.”

A campaign run by the pre-war Liberal-Green coalition had aimed to increase awareness of mental health conditions, and improving mental health care has been a long-standing commitment of the Liberal Party, however this is the first election in which they have named it one of their major priorities. Presidential candidate Nina Pond also talked about mental health today, mentioning the importance of seeking help in a video posted to various social media platforms.

Demand for counselling has increased rapidly since the conclusion of last year’s civil war, especially among those living in the areas most affected. These areas are also the least likely to have readily accessible resources, due to the destruction caused by the war. The estimated waiting time for counselling in Annatown is presently 14 months – and rising.

The Liaville Times reported last month that there was a shortage of antidepressants on Aeluria, as the number of people on the island on prescription antidepressants has increased by 114% since April 2018. The rising cost of mental health treatment has had a detrimental effect on the budget of the national health service. The Liberals’ commitment will be welcome news to health professionals, who have been asking for increased funding.

Parliamentary voting intention, 11/06/19 (change from previous poll on 10/06/19 shown)
Liberal Party: 24.9% (+1.5)
Communist Party: 16.3% (-0.2)
Conservative Party: 15.2% (+0.7)
Green Party: 15.0% (+0.1)
Left Alliance: 8.6% (+0.2)
Lauchenoiria First: 6.6% (-1.0)
Lauchenoirian Democratic Alliance: 5.5% (-0.5)
Pacifist Party: 3.5% (-0.4)
Feminist Party: 2.3% (-0.3)
Anarchist Party of Yervia: 0.9% (-)
Social Democratic Party: 0.7% (-0.1)
Aelurian Independence Party (AIP): 0.1% (-)