KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav, has expressed concern over the increase in number of mental health patients in Nepal every year due to illiteracy, unemployment, migration, social disintegration, poverty and natural disasters.

He expressed this concern while addressing the world ministerial conference on mental health organised in London, England on Wednesday. The global meet on mental health is jointly organised by the United Kingdom government, the World Health Organisation and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The Health Minister said that mental health was not only a serious issue of the least developed and developing countries but a global issue.

Referring to the global statistics that one out of every five persons living in the low-and medium-income countries were suffering from mental health issues, Minister Yadav shared that 20 per cent of the total South Asian population was suffering from some kind of mental illness.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, in the conference, DPM Yadav also spoke about provisions in the Constitution of Nepal adopting basic health as the fundamental right of citizens.

He said Nepal's government was committed to providing accessible health care services to the people at minimum cost, adding that the government has also paid special attention towards making treatment of mental illnesses more simplified and affordable.