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Parliamentary panel recommends govt to allocate funds to enhance mental health infra and services
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Gireesh Babu, New Delhi
August 30 , 2023
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Expressing concern over the insufficient budgetary allocation for the development of mental health infrastructure and services in the country, a Parliamentary panel has recommended that the government should allocate funds to establish and enhance regional mental health centred, ensuring accessibility and adequate services in remote areas.
The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its 148th report on Mental Healthcare and its Management in Contemporary Times tabled in the Parliament earlier this month, expressed its concern regarding the insufficient budgetary allocation
for the development of primary, secondary, and tertiary mental health infrastructure and mental healthcare services.
"The Committee notes that a decrease in funding of tertiary care programs raises concerns about its potential impact on the tertiary components of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP). The Committee fears that the reduced budgetary allocation would hamper the state of tertiary-level mental health institutions in the country," it said.
According to Budget documents of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there has been about a 42% reduction in the Budget Estimate (BE) for the Tertiary Care Programme, declining from Rs. 500 crore in FY 2022–23 to Rs. 289.81 crore in 2023–24.
As per the Notes on Demands for Grants for 2023–24, the total Budget Estimate (BE) for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) is Rs. 89,155 crore of this Rs. 2,980 crore is the BE for the Department of Health Research. The remaining Rs. 86,175 crore is the BE for the Department of Health & Family Welfare. In FY-24, under the MoHFW budget, allocations for mental health is- National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences, (NIMHANS), Bengaluru (Rs. 721 crore); Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur (Rs. 64 crore) and the National Tele-Mental Health Programme (Rs. 134 crore).
"The Committee, after analysing the budget numbers, is of the consensus that the budgetary allocation falls woefully short of meeting the escalating demand for mental health care, and it hinders the improvement of the existing infrastructure. Therefore, the Committee strongly recommends the ministry of health and family welfare to conduct an in-depth assessment of the current mental health infrastructure, identifying the gaps and deficiencies that need urgent attention," it said.
It further recommended the Government to allocate funds to establish and enhance regional mental health centres, ensuring accessibility and adequate services in remote areas. Further additional funding should be provided to upgrade and equip existing mental health facilities with modern technologies and skilled personnel, added the committee report.
The Committee also recommended that the Ministry should ensure essential medicines are available concerning mental health issues like depression and anxiety at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs). It noted that 17 psychotropic and substance use medications are currently included in the National List of Essential Medicines, 2022; 13 are to be made available at the Primary level, that is, at HWCs for treatment of fundamental mental health issues.
The Committee acknowledged that with the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) scheme, Care for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use (MNS) Disorders has witnessed an augmentation at PHCs and CHCs under District Mental Health Program. To further leverage the network of HWCs, it added, the Ministry should ensure quality training is imparted to community health officers and medical officers so that they are being able to provide first-line mental health counselling and care either in person or by tele-consultation/tele-medicine by leveraging the ICT tools.
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