Bangalore, January 21: Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari on Friday called for steps to remove the stigma and discrimination faced by mentally ill patients.
“While we have made enormous strides in de-stigmatising patients of HIV/AIDS through public education and awareness campaigns, we have not been able to replicate the same in the field of mental disorders. We must reduce the stigma and discrimination through public awareness,” he said delivering the 16th convocation address at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS).
Asserting there was a huge gap between the demand and supply of mental health services, the Vice-President said over two-thirds of mentally affected persons actually did not get treatment. “Improving infrastructure and human resources for supplying mental health services is an important aspect,” he said.
“Even in terms of mental health infrastructure, India has 25 psychiatric beds per million people compared with the global average of 169. We now have to ponder whether we have succeeded in out attempt to integrate mental healthcare as part of the primary healthcare delivery system,” he added.
In his address, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Centre would support the setting of a Centre for Advanced Research for Innovation in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. The proposed Centre for Public Health that will enable evidence-based policy making in the field of mental health will also get full support, he said.
Mr. Azad said he was hopeful of getting the Bill regarding recognition of NIMHANS as an institute of national importance passed in the budget session of Parliament.
Policy review
Explaining that multiple ailments co-exist among those with mental and neurological disorders and also vice versa, Mr. Azad said the role and linkage of these different disorders and their management strategies were being explored.
“We are awaiting the recommendations of the Mental Health Policy Review Committee. This review would help to substantially change the way we deliver mental health services,” the Union Minister said and added that the National Mental Health Programme had been restructured.
State Medical Education Minister S.A. Ramdas and NIMHANS Director P. Satishchandra spoke.
—Agencies