Santo Domingo.- The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, referred on Monday to the tragic case in the Naco sector of the capital, where a woman lost her life at the hands of a young man with apparent mental health problems. The president said that the tragedy deeply affected his close environment.
“The case of the tragedy touched us very close to us, because the victim was Nancy Handel’s sister, who is my wife’s assistant. He is a very dear person, married to a great friend, son of Hipólito, by the way,” said Abinader visibly moved, during his participation in the weekly with the press.
When referring to the state approach to the issue, the Head of State acknowledged that, although mental health measures have been taken, they are still insufficient in the face of the complexity of the problem.
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“We are not talking about a person without resources. She had the media and received treatment. But the great challenge is that patients should take their medications and stay under surveillance,” he explained.
Abinader cited statistics that indicate that in the last 40 to 50 years the number of patients in mental health hospitals, product of the progress in psychiatric medications, has decreased by 70%. “Before, many were held, they are now sent to their homes. And that is a reality that is being seen throughout the world,” he said.
The president considered that this outpatient treatment model, without adequate supervision, could be contributing to unfortunate situations such as that occurred in Naco. “I think at some point that approach should be checked,” he concluded.
