This facility was launched today here by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil under 'Tele MANAS,' a groundbreaking online mental health care service to address the growing mental health problem in Himachal.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap and offer universal, affordable, and stigma-free mental health care to those who need it the most.
With a staggering population of over 75 lakh, the state is reeling under a shortage of mental health professionals.
There are mere 14 psychiatrists meeting the demand for services, with no precise count of available counselors in the medical colleges spread across the state.
The state's health institutions, including IGMC Shimla and Dr. RPGMC Tanda, are woefully understaffed, with a meager four and three psychiatrists, respectively.
The Jawahar Lal Nehru government medical college in Chamba fares even worse, with only two residents and no head professor in the psychiatry department.
Dr. YS Parmar government medical college in Nahan has just one psychiatrist, while Lal Bahadur Shashtri government medical college in Ner Chowk, Mandi, manages with only four psychiatrists, serving Mandi, Kullu, and Lahaul-Spiti districts.
While the exact dimension of mental health crisis remains elusive due to the stigma surrounding these issues and no available study, it is evident that the situation is deteriorating each passing year.
This is compounded by the prevalence of drug abuse and mental health problems, particularly among the younger generation, said psychiatrists.
To combat this crisis, the round-the-clock Tele call centers have come up in Public Private Participation (PPP) mode, manned by counselors ready to assist patients and their families.
They can be reached through the toll-free numbers 14416 or 1800-891-4416. Initially, there will be eight counselors available for online counseling, with the potential to expand this number as the demand rises, said Shandil.
The 'Tele MANAS' program, a part of the Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (MANAS) initiative launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is designed to reach remote and underserved areas.
It operates on a two-tier system, with the first tier being a State Tele MANAS Cell staffed with trained counselors for online counseling.
The second tier involves physical consultations with psychiatrists at medical colleges or district-level hospitals, either directly or following a referral from the call center.
The Union government has provided a grant of Rs. 1.06 crore to kickstart these services in the state, with the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IBHAS) Delhi serving as the regional coordination center.
IGMCH Shimla will play a mentoring role in developing state-specific protocols and guidelines, while the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences and IIIT Bengaluru will provide technical support.
The primary focus of this initiative will be on the adolescent age groups, particularly students at the school and college levels, who face excessive stress in their academic and professional pursuits.
