European Health Summit 2020

1 December 2020

As SDG advocate, Queen Mathilde took part in this year's (digital) European Health Summit. She pronounced a speech on mental health. 

" The COVID pandemic and the lockdown have had disastrous effects on mental health and mental wellbeing. The illness and sometimes death of relatives and friends, the loss of jobs and income, and a general uncertainty about the future are causing immense stress. Young people have been cut off from companionship and from their learning environment. Elderly people have experienced prolonged periods of loneliness and lasting feelings of abandonment. Domestic violence has increased dramatically.

However, the pandemic has also acted as a wake-up call. It has unlocked a vibrant conversation at both the national and global level, about the importance of mental health and wellbeing in our societies. Quite suddenly, media and commentators, decision-makers, and ordinary citizens have started taking a keen interest in the heavy psychosocial consequences of the pandemic, and of the lockdown, on mental wellbeing. Sometimes, this has literally become front-page news. "

"Let’s face it. Long before the pandemic, in “normal times”, we knew. We knew that too many people in our societies were facing depression and anxiety. We knew that burnouts were on the rise. We knew that suicide figures in many European countries are appalling. We live in a world that can at times be hard to manage. We should not be afraid of recognizing our vulnerabilities. Seeking the right support to tackle them will make us stronger.

The COVID pandemic has brought to light many stories of resilience and mutual support. Understanding better how this resilience came about and how these experiences can help us rebuild better, in mental health too, is an urgent challenge."

The summit is a gathering of policy makers and experts from the medical field & from private companies who exchange about vaccines, medical innovation, European medical policy and the sustainability of healthcare.