The lower the mortality rate and the higher the life expectancy, the stronger the performance of the economy. However, European Union (EU) countries may have a problem with the younger generation not being able to work because of mental health problems. In a pre-election Eurodebate by Zdravotnícke denník, Ekonomický denník and Česká justice, entitled The Future of Europe – an agenda for the new European Parliament and European Commission, Paula Puškárová, MP and chairwoman of the Slovak National Council’s (NC) Committee on Education, Science, Youth and Sport, said this. She is a candidate for the European Parliament on behalf of the Hlas-SD party.

According to Puškárová, up to 50 percent of children in Slovak secondary schools experience so-called cyberbullying. „This is the young generation that has to work for their pensions. Their mental health may already be permanently scarred in some cases. They are then unable to create value, increase their productivity and need professional help,“ the chairwoman of the parliamentary Committee on Education, Science, Youth and Sport told the Eurodebate.

The costs of mental health will rise, she said, and this must be prepared for. „There is also room for the European Union, which can support these topics, for example through study programmes or by coordinating between member states,“ Puškárová said. Roughly one third of the population has mental health problems. These are diagnosed patients who have sought professional help at some point. Their numbers have been rising, especially during the pandemic.

From left: Member of Parliament Paula Puškárová (Hlas-SD) and publisher of the Zdravotnický deník Ivo Hartmann.

According to her, the younger generation lives in cyberspace and losing touch in the community. „It’s a problem that from a health perspective we will have to address,“ says the MP. The key to reducing risk within children’s mental health is also within the family environment.

Puškárová also says that the quality of human capital and innovation are the greatest sources of economic growth. Within population health are the factors that influence it to a greater extent. In this regard, she expects that the biggest cost that can be incurred in the health sector is the cost of mental health.

(mhl)

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Photo: Tomáš Bokor

Photoshoot after the Eurodebate.