Hong Kong needs high-level body to coordinate mental health policies for better use of resources, says ex-chairman of advisory panel

Hong Kong needs a high-level body to coordinate mental health policies, the former chairman of an advisory committee has said, stressing that more concerted efforts would be conducive to tackling such a vast subject.

Wong Yan-lung, who finished a six-year stint on the Advisory Committee on Mental Health last week, also recalled some of the scenes that made him push for changes for those deprived of resources and support.

Wong, the city’s secretary for justice from 2005 to 2012, said structural changes should be considered in the government to improve coordination between departments and bureaus in implementing mental health policies.

“My six years of experience told me that, in the future if we hope to do better, the government should seriously consider … whether there should be leadership with abilities of decision-making and execution for cross-bureau and interdepartmental efforts,” he said on Thursday.

Wong said the move could help mobilise resources in a more efficient way for mental health initiatives, which often involved the Health Bureau, Labour and Welfare Bureau, and Education Bureau.

“Some departments might have done their policies well, but they might have overlapped a bit,” Wong said.

He said the proposed body could be similar to the Commission on Children, an advisory group led by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and involving various government departments in developing policies.