Lok Sabha Question No. 4290 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: Mental Healthcare Infrastructure  and Services
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4290 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH DECEMBER, 2024

## MENTALHEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

## 4290. SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to improve the mental healthcare infrastructure and ensure equal access to mental health services across the country;
- (b) the manner in which the Government is likely to address the mental health crisis among doctors with nearly 30% of them reporting depression, as per study; and
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to increase the number of mental health counsellors across the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SH. PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (c) The Government has launched a 'National Tele Mental Health Programme' on 10th October, 2022, to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country. As on 22.11.2024, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells and have started tele mental health services. More than 15,95,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number.

The Government has also launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, i.e. 10th October, 2024. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well being to mental disorders.

The Government is also taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at primary healthcare level. The Government has upgraded more than 1.73 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Operational guidelines on Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders (MNS) at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been released under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat.

For providing affordable and accessible mental healthcare facilities in the country, the Government is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) component of the NMHP has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts for which support is provided to States/UTs through the National Health Mission. Facilities made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre(CHC) and Primary Health Centre(PHC) levels, include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc. In addition to above services there is a provision of 10 bedded in-patient facility at the District level.

Under the tertiary care component of NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in PG departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities. Further, the Government has also supported 19 Government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 PG Departments in mental health specialties.

There are 47 Government run mental hospitals in the country, including 3 Central Mental Health Institutions, viz. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. Mental Health Services are also provisioned in all AIIMS. These services are also available under PMJAY.

The Government is also augmenting the availability of manpower to deliver mental healthcare services in the underserved areas of the country by providing online training courses to various categories of general healthcare medical and para medical professionals through the Digital Academies, established since 2018, at the three Central Mental Health Institutes namely National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam, and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. The total number of professionals trained under Digital Academies are 42,488.

As per information received from Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), at present, 66 institutions/universities are offering M.Phil Clinical Psychology course. The Council has launched B.Sc. Clinical Psychology (Hons.) course from the academic session 2024- 25 and granted approval to 19 universities to offer this course for developing more professionals in clinical psychology.

As per information received from National Medical Commission (NMC), the following preventive measures have been implemented by NMC to address mental health challenges and promote student well-being:

i. A15-Member National Task Force constituted by the Anti-Ragging committee of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in February 2024 on Mental Health and Well

-being of Medical Students, recommended establishment of Centralized Reporting Systems, promoting supportive environment, addressing systemic issues, implementation of regular training programs, among others to address mental health issues in medical students.

ii. Aggrieved students can lodge complaints related to mental health and ragging on NMC's website as well as other portals such as Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).

iii. National Medical Commission Regulations such as Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical College and Institutions Regulations, 2021 require Colleges to submit annual compliance report and prescribe punitive actions for offenders.

Further, all States/UTs have also been requested for wide circulation and publicity of NTMHP/ Tele MANAS in the respective States/UTs especially among students in educational institutions. All Institutes of National Importance, AIIMS and Central Government Medical Colleges have also been requested to publicize Tele MANAS among students to access the helpline at any time for free and confidential support.

****