A hefty amount has been earmarked for providing scholarships to mental health professionals, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said.

President Solih said this in his address following the inauguration of the Centre for Mental Health on Monday morning. 

The loan scheme introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education in March, and both psychology and psychiatry is included in the list of skills needed or ‘in shortage’ in the Maldives. 

However, the exact amount earmarked specifically for training mental health professionals, or how many slots students of this vocation will be allocated, has not yet been publicised. 

“I know that this Centre alone will not be a solution for those suffering from such a condition, but I consider this a start, and a step that can lighten the burden," President Solih said on Monday. 

Establishing the Centre for Mental Health was on the new government's first 100-day agenda, and it was further elaborated in President Solih’s address at the People's Majlis inaugural sitting this year.

President Solih said that the government intends to propose a draft bill on mental health, which will further support treatment for mental illnesses in the Maldives.