National Workshop on Mental Health Inaugurated to Tackle Mental Health Challenges in India

New Delhi:  Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, inaugurated a two-day National Workshop on Mental Health, a crucial initiative to address mental health challenges in the nation. The workshop brought together senior officers from all states along with mentoring institutes for TeleMANAS, aiming to foster collaboration and find effective solutions to mental health issues. Dr. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, also graced the occasion.

In a significant announcement, Dr. Paul declared the merger of the KIRAN Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline with TeleMANAS. The KIRAN helpline, operational since September 2020, has served over 1,27,390 callers. TeleMANAS, the National Tele Mental Health Helpline, launched on World Mental Health Day in October 2022, has handled 6,75,000 calls. The merger aims to optimize resources, enhance service quality, and address the increasing demand for mental health support by ensuring a seamless transition and creating public awareness about the merger process. Over the next three months, calls from KIRAN will be redirected to TeleMANAS, leading to the eventual phasing out of the former.

Expressing his satisfaction with the merger, Dr. Paul stated that it would reduce the burden and facilitate reaching concerned individuals more efficiently.

During the workshop, Dr. V K Paul reiterated India’s commitment to mental health and emphasized the need for collaboration among stakeholders. He expressed confidence that the workshop would generate valuable insights to design a robust healthcare system for mental health issues in the country.

Applauding healthcare professionals, especially frontline workers, Dr. Paul highlighted the workshop’s importance in addressing mental health issues through a network of well-developed primary healthcare centers, the Ayushman Aarogya Mandir across the nation. He encouraged a collective effort, a ‘Jan Andolan,’ to make India a mentally healthy nation, involving the government, community, NGOs, and individuals.

Dr. Rajesh Aggarwal highlighted the importance of innovative approaches, including special education and proper care with treatment, to address mental health issues related to children. He expressed gratitude for the timely integration of the KIRAN helpline with TeleMANAS.

Three manuals were released during the event, offering guidance on the complexities of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. These manuals, tailored for legal aid providers, mental health practitioners, and caregivers, aim to simplify the legal framework surrounding mental health care in India.

The workshop, spanning two days, covers various topics, including policy reviews, mindfulness sessions, integration of mental health in primary and secondary healthcare, global best practice models, enhancing mental health literacy, challenges, and the way forward in TeleMANAS, and the role of Mentoring Institutes. The panel discussions feature experts from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Health Organization, providing a platform for sharing insights, experiences, and best practices in mental health care.