Miguel Xavier, Full Professor of Psychiatry and Mental Health and Deputy Director and President of the Scientific Council at NOVA Medical School, was appointed National Coordinator of Mental Health Policies, according to an order from the Minister of Health, published on January 24, in the Republic Gazette.
The diploma, which also designates the other members of the National Coordination of Mental Health Policies, including Professor Joaquim Gago (FCM|NMS), states that this structure will monitor the execution of the National Mental Health Plan.
Working for several years as Director of the National Program for Mental Health (PNSM), of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), this appointment will make perfect sense in the implementation of a coordinated work in the establishment of the general principles and of the rules for the organization and functioning of mental health services, considering, as mentioned in Decree-Law no. organization of services, which includes national and regional coordination structures, with functions for planning, promoting and evaluating mental health policies.
In the words of Miguel Xavier "a national coordination structure with executive powers is created in Portugal, which is expected to make an essential contribution to overcoming some of the barriers to the implementation of mental health reform in our country. the allocation of funds under the PRR and with the forthcoming revision of the Mental Health Law, the conditions seem to be in place for this reform to finally move forward in a more rapid and politically sustained manner."