The Korea Herald

지나쌤

[Graphic News] S. Korea, Singapore and Taiwan provide better access to mental health treatment

By Kevin Do Hyun Kim

Published : Nov. 8, 2016 - 18:43

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Millions of people suffer from mental or neurological disorders in Asia, but the related health care is still not a priority in most Asian countries.

In a ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan performed better than other countries in terms of making mental health care available. It was the first such ranking by the EIU. Based on the EIU’s study, the three nations ranked ahead of Japan, Malaysia and Thailand in terms of access to health care and social services related to mental health.

However, Japan has the largest number of psychiatrists per capita (20.1 per 100,000 people), with the corresponding figures for Taiwan, Singapore and South Korean between 2.8 and 5.1 per 100,000 people.