MP Furious Over Minuscule Mental Health Funding

Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson, an MP for the Pirate Party, has harshly criticised the government’s decision to allot only 1.5 million ISK (roughly USD 13.500) in funding to Hugarafl, a long standing mental health non-profit, reports RÚV.

“This is shameful,” said Gunnar Hrafn, who has actively raised awareness for mental health issues since taking office. Gunnar Hrafn added that he might not even have made it to the parliamentary pulpit to fight this issue if he hadn’t had access to the services Hugarafl provide.

“By making this decision, [you’re] playing with people’s lives,” said Gunnar Hrafn, insisting that Hugarafl deserved what a member of parliament would get paid in a year: 13 million ISK.

Gunnar Hrafn has said he plans to join a planned protest of this decision, taking place in front of the Ministry of Welfare today at 14:00.

“The organisation looks at this decision as an outright insult,” reads a statement from Hugarafl, published following the funding announcement. “The actions of the ministers and their officials show, at best, extreme ignorance for the work done by one of the biggest non-governmental resources in the country.”