Since the 2021 healthcare reform, 410,022 people have sought cheaper mental health care.
Under the new rules, affordable psychological or special educational support have become more accessible in private practices, but also at other locations such as GP surgeries, schools, social welfare services, and prisons.
The new data was released by the cabinet of outgoing Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) on Wednesday.
In this system, the first session is free while subsequent sessions cost adults a maximum of €11 each. Those aged below 24 years old can access the services entirely free of charge.
Out of the 410,022 people who utilised these services, 145,533 were children and young people up to 24 years old, and 264,489 were adults. In total, over 3.1 million sessions took place since 2021.
"The goal was to make access to mental healthcare as accessible as possible. We are now seeing significant progress," Vandenbroucke stated. "People are finding their way to the help they need, and vice-versa, this support is becoming increasingly local and close to the living environments of both adults and young people."
