The Mental Health Bill is likely to be introduced in the forthcoming Parliament session, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan after unveiling the Mental Health policy which aims to provide access to good quality treatment to mentally ill people particularly from poor segment.
“The Government would try and introduce the Mental Health Bill in Parliament in the next session,” Harshvardhan told reporters after the launch of the policy.The policy seeks to include mental treatment at primary health care at a time when India is estimated to have only about 3,500 psychiatrists and over 50 per cent of the mentally ill have no access to health care.
“We want a nation that upholds the human rights of mental patients,” Harshvardhan said, adding mental health care would find articulation in the evolving National Health Policy and National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM).As part of the Ministry’s efforts to boost mental health care, many hospitals dedicated to curing mental illness would be upgraded to Bangalore-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, the country’s foremost such institute.
The Minister also called for de-criminalising attempt to suicide, which is presently a crime, saying people often having mental trouble attempt to take the extreme step and need human care not prosecution.A recent WHO report had said that India sees largest numbers of suicides globally and in the 15-29 years age group, it has the highest suicide rate.
The Centre will allocate funds to all hospitals in the country to enable them to open departments for treating patients in need of psychological and psychiatric health care and help those which want to upgrade their mental health care facilities.The new mental health policy’s objective is to provide universal access to mental health care by enhancing understanding of mental health and strengthening leadership in the mental health sector at all levels.
Among the major stakeholders identified for actualizing the objectives of the policy are the union government, local bodies like municipalities, schools and colleges and the private corporate sector, he added.