Measures to improve mental health

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 7. The Centre today unveiled a package of measures to improve the infrastructure at the grassroots level for the treatment of mental ailments, which had so far remained grossly unattended as the focus had been more on the control of killer diseases such as malaria.

The new initiatives include expansion of the coverage of the district mental health programme. The scheme, which had been under implementation in 21 districts spread over 20 States since 1996, is to be expanded to cover another 30 districts this year.

The other measures envisaged this year, which has been devoted by the World Health Organisation to `mental health', include special training programmes for doctors at the district level and steps to ensure supply of essential drugs at the reasonable prices especially for the aged, who suffer from severe illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Announcing the package, the Union Health Minister, Dr. C.P.Thakur, said the Government was also working on a programme to upgrade the facilities at mental hospitals in the country at a cost of Rs. 1 crore each during the Tenth Plan period.

It is estimated that about 1 to 2 per cent of the population suffered from serious mental ailments and another 3 to 5 per cent suffered from minor disorders such as stress, anxiety and depression.

At a symposium organised by the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences here this morning to mark the World Health Day, mental health experts emphasised the need to remove the stigma attached to mental illness and suggested psychiatry be introduced as a discipline in undergraduate medical course.

The seminar was held in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association.

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Section  : National
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