National Tele-Mental Health Programme to be Launched as per Union Budget 2022: Check Details Here

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of a ‘National Tele-Mental Health Programme’ along with addressing the disastrous impact of COVID 19 on mental health while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23.

The government will launch a national tele-mental health programme to provide 24x7 free counselling and care to people, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her #Budget speech

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— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 2, 2022

The Tele-Mental Health Programme will consist of a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence with NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences) and IIIT Bangalore.

While NIMHANS will be the nodal centre of the network, IIIT Bangalore will provide the required technological support.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her speech commented on how COVID adversely affected not just the physical but psychological and emotional well-being of the people.

“The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a National Tele Mental Health programme will be launched”, the FM further added.

Some of the most disastrous impacts of the pandemic include job losses, severe lack of social contact and the increasing rise of anxiety among individuals.

According to the Government of India’s National Health Mission, 6-7% of the population suffers from psychological disorders. It further notes that according to WHO, at least one in four families is most likely to have at least one member with a behavioural or mental disorder.

Check: Union Budget 2022

The concerned families not only have to face issues regarding finding the accurate way to support the victims but also have to bear the result of stigma around mental health and discrimination.

Poor awareness about the symptoms of mental illness, myths and several stigmas, are some of the most significant causes for the high treatment gap.

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To battle this issue and provide wide access to mental healthcare, the budget has also decided to include a Digital Health Ecosystem Platform. This will consist of digital registries of health providers and facilities, unique health identity and universal access to health facilities.

Prabhdeep Singh, the founder and CEO, StanPlus, one of the largest ambulance network providers in India said, “This will aid us in saving lives by allowing us access to contextual health information in quick time, enabling faster and better medical response in emergencies”.

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Recognizing the rising cases of Omicron variant, Sitharaman commented upon the significant help of the vaccines and medical system. With the upcoming ‘Tele-Mental Health Programme’ she expressed her confidence in fighting the pandemic in a better and stronger way.

“We are confident of withstanding challenges amid the Covid-19 pandemic and strive to provide a necessary ecosystem for the middle class. This budget hopes to lay the foundation for Amrit Kal from India at 75 to India at 100," she further added.

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Lauding the initiative, Subhamoy Dastidar, Director, AtEase, an inclusive mental health platform for women (cis-women and transwomen) and non-binary individuals, referred to the ‘mention’ of mental health in the budget as ‘gratifying’.

According to him, this shows the Government’s acceptance and concerns towards the holistic health of the individuals.

Dr Pratima Murthy, Director, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, has called the initiative a “fantastic opportunity to reach out to masses.” She also added that this will help the concerned authority to identify, diagnose and provide help to the affected people.

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