Abstract
This article outlines the history of mental health service delivery with contemporary challenges and opportunities in the Maldives. Mental health has been traditionally the domain of faith healers in the Maldives. This changed gradually with the availability of treatments as well as increased public awareness, and mental health is now recognized as an emerging health issue. The current challenges for the mental health system include governance issues, access to services, human resource limitations, poor prevention efforts, and lack of research. These challenges may be overcome by focussing on opportunities through strengthened governance, intersectoral collaboration, mainstream integration of mental health, and local research.
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