Distinguished Members of the Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly,

Mental health is essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage and must be addressed through strong primary healthcare systems.

Family doctors, working in multidisciplinary teams, identify and manage emerging mental health concerns offering early support and reducing long-term impacts. They guide people through difficult life events — such as bereavement, job loss, or migration — that challenge mental health and resilience. In older adults, they address unwanted loneliness, a growing and silent epidemic with serious health effects.

WONCA calls on Member States to invest in family doctors and integrate mental health care into primary care. This is vital to reduce inequalities and build healthier, more resilient communities.

Thank you.