With the COVID-19 pandemic that negatively affects mental health and triggers an exponential increase in mental health problems among vulnerable population groups, the Center announced Tuesday the launch of the national telemental health program.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during the budget speech in Parliament, announced that a national telemental health program will be launched, to be operated under a network of twenty-three mental health centers of excellence under the country’s leading mental health institute: NIMHANS.
The launch comes against the backdrop of mounting scientific evidence showing mental health sequelae following Covid-19 infection. During the pandemic, patients have been reporting anxiety and depression, as well as ‘Long Covid’, where recovered patients experience brain fog and cannot think clearly, and also have neurological symptoms.
Sitharaman announced that IIIT Bangalore will provide technology support for specialized teleconsultation services. “The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To improve access to quality mental health care and counseling services, a National Tele Mental Health program will be launched,” said Sitharaman.
During the pandemic, the NIMHANS Disaster Management Psychosocial Support Center launched a 24/7 nationwide toll-free helpline to address public mental health and psychosocial concerns during the pandemic. pandemic and lockdown. Currently, the government is also operating the SAMVEDNA telecounseling service that offers psychological support to children to deal with their stress, anxiety, fear and other problems during the pandemic.
During the speech, Sitharaman also announced the launch of an open platform for the national health ecosystem. He said the digital ecosystem will comprise a comprehensive list of digital health provider and health facility records, unique health identity, consent framework, and universal access to health facilities.
The government is currently creating the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), a randomly generated 14-digit number that can be used to uniquely identify people, authenticate them and read their health records, only with informed consent, across multiple systems and stakeholders.
Meanwhile, with India’s full vaccination coverage crossing the 75 percent mark, Sitharaman stressed that the momentum of the vaccination campaign has facilitated the country’s economic growth. “We are in the middle of omicron wave, the speed of our vaccination campaign has helped a lot. I trust that ‘Sabka Prayas’, we will continue with strong growth”, he said.
Sitharaman also highlighted that 95 percent of the 112 aspirational districts have made great progress on various indices, including health.
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