Lok Sabha Question No. 829 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Community Services for Mental Health
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Kotha Prabhakar  Reddy, Geetha Viswanath Vanga

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 829 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH FEBRUARY, 2021

## COMMUNITY SERVICES F OR MENTAL HEALTH

## 829. SHRI KOTHA PRABHAKAR REDDY: SHRIMATI VANGA GEETH A VISWANATH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WE LFARE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  county  need  more  investments  and professionals  for  taking  care  of  mental well - being of the p rsons affected;

(b) if so, the details t hereof and steps taken in this regard during the last five years and current yearparticulary during pre and post COVID - 19 situation;

(c) whether there is need to modify a host of laws that discriminate against people with mental health issues and people n eed community based mental health services; and

(d)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  steps  being  taken in  this  regard  and  funds  spent  thereon, State/UT, wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a):The Government conducted the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) of India through  the  National  Institute  of  Mental  Health  and  Neuro  Sciences  (NIMHANS), Bengaluru in 2016 as per which the prevalence of mental disorders in adults over t of 18 years is about 10.6%. The treatment gap for mental disorders rangedbetween 70% to 92% for different disorders .

(b):To address the burden of mental disorders, the Government of India is implement the  National  Mental  Health  Programme  (NMHP). The Government  is  supporting implementation of the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) under NMHP in 692 districts of the country with the objectives to:

(i)Provide  suicide  prevention  services,  work  place  stress  management,  life  sk training and couns elling in schools and colleges.

(ii) Provide  mental  health  services  including  prevention,  promotion  and  long - term continuing care at different levels of district healthcare delivery system.

(iii) Augment  institutional  capacity  in  terms  of  infrastructure, equipment and human resource for mental healthcare.

(iv)Promote  community  awareness  and  participation  in  the  delivery  of  mental healthcare services.

With a view to augment the availability of qualified manpower in field of me health, the  Government, under  the  National  Mental  Health  Programme  (NMHP),  is implementing  manpower  development  schemes  for  establishment  of  Centres  of Excellence  and  strengthening/  establishment  of  Post  Graduate  (PG)  Departments mental health specialties. Till date, support h as been provided for establishment of 25 Centres  of  Excellence  and  strengthening/  establishment  of  47  Post  Graduate  (P Departments  in  four  mental  health  specialties  viz.  (i)  Psychiatry,  (ii) C Psychology, (iii) Psychiatric Nursing, and (iv) Psychi atric Social Work, in the country.

The  Government  is  also  augmenting  the  availability  of  manpower  to  delive mental healthcare services in the underserved areas of the country by providing training courses to various categories of general healthcar e medical and para medical professionals  through  the  Digital  Academies  established  at  the  three  Central  M Health  Institutes  namely  National  Institute  of  Mental  Health  and  Neuro  Scien Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Men tal Health, Tezpur, Assam, and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi.

Realizing  the  impact  that  COVID - 19  may  have  on  the  mental  health  of  the people,  the  Government  has  taken  a  number  of  initiatives  to  provide  psychosoc support during COVID - 19. These initiatives include

(i) Setting up of a 24/7 helpline to provide psychosocial support, by mental h professionals, to the entire affected population, divided into different target children, adult, elderly, women and healthcare workers.

(ii) Issuance of guidelines/ advisories on management of mental health issues, cater to different segments of the society.

(iii) Advocacy  through  various  media  platforms  in  the  form  of  creative  and  audi -visual  materials  on  managing  stress  and  anxiety,  and  promoting  an  en vironment  of support and care for all.

(iv) Issuance  of  detailed  guidelines  by  the  National  Institute  of  Mental  Healt Neurosciences (NIMHANS),  Bengaluru- "Mental  Health  in  the  times  of  COVID - 19 Pandemic -Guidance for General Medical and Specialized Mental Health Care Settings".

(v) All the guidelines, advisories and advocacy material can be accessed on Mini of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  website  under  'Behavioural  Health -Psychosocial helpline' ( https://www.mohfw.go v.in/ ).

(vi) Online capacity building of health workers by NIMHANS in psychosocial support and training through (iGOT) - Diksha platform.

providing

(c) : The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 came into force w.e.f. 29 th May, 2018 along with the Rules framed thereunder . The Act aims at protection and promotion of the rights o persons with mental illness during the delivery of health care in institutions a community.  It  also  ensures  health  care,  treatment  and  rehabilitation  of  person mental illness within a rights based framework to achieve the greatest public health go Rights  of  mentally  ill  person  to  access  mental  healthcare,  live  in  the  comm protection from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, equality and non - d scrimination, legal aid, make complaints about deficiencies in provision of services, etc are some o novel features of the Act:

(d): Public health and hospitals is a State subject and implementation of the provisions of the Act is primarily the responsibility of State/ UT Go vernments.