Govt to strengthen mental health services under national programme

New Delhi, April 1: In a bid to strengthen mental health services, the government has implemented National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), which includes postpartum mothers, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

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, said Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.

Facilities made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels, inter-alia, 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, the minister informed.

The government has upgraded more than 1.83 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Mental health services have been added in the packages of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, said Thakur.

Operational guidelines and training manuals for various cadres on Mental, Neurological, and substance use disorders (MNS) at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been released under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat.

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 specialties 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 three Central Mental Health Institutions -- 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.

The government has also launched a “National Tele Mental Health Programme” to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country.

--IANS