NEW DELHI: The Centre's National Tele-Mental Health Program (Tele-MANAS), which was launched last year to provide round-the-clock free tele-mental health services, especially in remote areas, has counseled more than 3.5 lakh people, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday.
Addressing the Mental Health Conclave on World Mental Health Day 2023, the minister said that Tele-MANAS is currently providing counseling to 2,000 people through 44 Tele Manas Cells.
“More than 1,000 calls are being received on this helpline every day,” said Mandaviya, as he virtually inaugurated new facilities at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, and launched the new logo of Tele-MANAS.
The minister said that the use of digital technology in mental health is a force multiplier.
The centre announced the National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) in the 2022-23 union budget as it acknowledged the mental health crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to establish a digital mental health network to connect the underserved areas. The Tele-MANAS health services were launched last year on World Mental Health Day.
“Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres have facilitated the integration of mental health services with primary health services as priority services for mental health, neurological disorders, and substance use disorders,” he added.
He said that district-level activities are organized by a dedicated district mental health intervention team stationed in the district hospital.
“Additionally, OPD, counseling, care, and medical support for mental health issues are provided at Community Health Center and Primary Health Center level. They are being provided through 1.6 lakh AB-HWCs situated across the country. Mental health also features under the Prime Minister-Jan Arogya Yojana,” he said.
On the occasion, he also commended states on their performances.
Tamil Nadu ranked first in the largest states category, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Telangana, Jharkhand, and Kerala were awarded for their performance in the smaller states category.
In the Northeast category, Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur received awards, and Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu were awarded in the Union Territories category.
He said that apart from Tele-MANAS services, the government has taken several steps to address mental health issues of children and women under the National Child Health Programme, National Adolescent Health Program, and Reproductive Child Health (RCH) programmes.
As life expectancy improves, attention is also being paid to the mental health of the elderly, he said.
Mandaviya said to improve coverage and access to mental health care, district-level activities have been supported under the National Mental Health Program in 743 districts across all 36 states and UTs.
He highlighted that at the tertiary level, there are a total of 47 government mental health hospitals in the country, including three central mental health institutions at Bengaluru, Ranchi, and Tejaspur.
Many other central and state government hospitals have psychiatry departments, he said, adding that psychiatry departments have been established in the newly established All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).