Lok Sabha Question No. 859 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-26
Subject: Mental Health care infrastructure
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, Shri Benny Behanan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 859 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH JULY, 2024

## MENTALHEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE

## 859. Shri Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy: Shri Benny Behanan:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of registered mental counsellors available in the country;
- (b) whether this number of registered mental counsellors is sufficient to meet the demand in the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the initiatives taken/proposed to be taken to increase the number of registered mental counsellors and improve mental healthcare infrastructure;
- (d) whether the Government has any plan to increase mental healthcare centres along with PHCs across India; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

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

- (a) to (e) The data regarding number of registered mental counsellors in the country, is not maintained centrally. As per information provided by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), there are 3551 Clinical Psychologists, 2828 Rehabilitation Psychologists and 209 Rehabilitation Practitioners registered in Central Rehabilitation register (CRR) maintained by RCI.

Under the tertiary care component of National Mental Health Programme, 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. Mental Health Services are also provisioned for 22 All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS). These services are also available under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (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, since 2018, established 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.

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.

In addition to the above, 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), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) and Urban Health & Wellness Centres (UHWCs) 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.

Besides the above, the Government has launched a 'National Tele Mental Health Programme' (NTMHP) on 10th October, 2022, to improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country. As on 23.07.2024, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells and have started tele mental health services. More than 11,76,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number.

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