MND vows to fix military mental health hotline issue

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, admitted Wednesday (March 27) that the non-operational hotline for the Matsu region's mental health center is a management issue. He pledged a comprehensive review and strengthening of the system.

Chiu's admission came during a meeting of the Foreign and National Defense Committee, where he was invited to discuss the recent spate of self-harm incidents among military personnel.

During the meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu presented a recording demonstrating that the Matsu area's mental health center's phone number was non-operational. Wang questioned why the military would provide a non-working number, especially in light of the recent string of self-harm incidents among military personnel.

Wang suggested that officers in the military should regularly check whether the mental health center's phone is operational and questioned whether there were other non-working numbers. He also pointed out that only 69 people in the entire military's mental health support system are certified and suggested that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) seek external assistance.

According to a report from the MND, since 2018, they have been assisting mental health support staff in obtaining certification. From 2021 to 2023, the pass rates for counseling psychology and social work certifications were 88.9% and 40.4%, respectively, higher than the national averages of 72.6% and 21.4%.

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