NITI Aayog organized a National Workshop on “Strengthening Mental Health Services and Care in India” at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore on 9th January 2024, Bengaluru in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, and the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka. The purpose of the workshop was to elicit the views of States and other stakeholders on existing gaps and challenges under the District Mental Health Program (DMHP) and also to learn from the States, their best practices, which can further be replicated in other States/UTs with their own contextualization.
The one-day national-level workshop was chaired by Hon’ble Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Dr. V. K. Paul, and was graced by the presence of Chairman and President, National Medical Commission, Dr. B. N. Gangadhar; Economic Adviser, MoHFW, Smt. Indrani Kaushal; Director, NIMHANS, Dr. Pratima Murthy; Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Govt. of Karnataka, Shri Anil Kumar T. K.; senior officials from MoHFW, DGHS, ICMR, and States/UTs, as well as sectoral and technical experts from WHO India, UNICEF, and development partners who have been contributing in the space of primary healthcare and mental health. The workshop was conducted as a part of the NITI–State workshop series, an initiative under the State Support Mission (SSM).
“The purpose of the workshop was to elicit the views of states and other stakeholders on existing gaps and challenges under the District Mental Health Program (DMHP) and also to learn from the states, their best practices, which can further be replicated in other states/UTs with their own contextualisation,” the Aayog said in a statement.
The workshop was basically divided into two sessions, first session highlighted the challenges, experiences and way forward under the recently introduced component of Tele-MANAS.
Second session was divided into four parts, with a panel discussion and three interactive roundtable sessions, which focused on addressing challenges, sharing current initiatives and best practices in States/UTs, and paving the way forward for a holistic mental healthcare ecosystem in India.
NITI Aayog member VK Paul called for a new national mental healthcare program -“The way forward is to develop an overarching and holistic vision for inclusive and efficient service delivery, adopt an integrative approach by converging aspects of traditional medicine, and augment the mental healthcare workforce by optimising post-graduate seats in psychiatry, psychiatric social work, and clinical psychology” he said.
[ What is NITI AYOG’s role:
NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the adoption and monitoring of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goal) in the country and promote competitive and cooperative federalism among States and UTs.
The task at hand for NITI Aayog is not just to periodically collect data on SDGs but to proactively realise the goals and targets. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has already undertaken a parallel exercise of interaction with the Ministries to evolve indicators reflecting the SDG goals and targets.
NITI Aayog in consultation with MoSPI has prepared a draft mapping of the goals and targets as an initial step. Further, the centrally sponsored schemes, including the ‘core of the core’, ‘core’ and ‘optional’ schemes implemented by the States, and some of the recent initiatives undertaken by the Central Government have been mapped. Moreover, Ministries and States are implementing central sector schemes and state schemes, respectively, aligned with one or more SDGs. This mapping can be accessed here.
The Sustainable Development Goals lay out a uniquely ambitious and comprehensive agenda for global development by 2030. NITI Aayog is the nodal institution for achieving SDGs in the country, leading the 2030 Agenda with the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism. ]
