News Excerpt:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to address the mental health needs of Armed Forces personnel and their families.
More about the news: The establishment of a special Tele-MANAS Cell at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, signifies a commitment to prioritizing the mental health and well-being of Armed Forces personnel. With this initiative, armed forces beneficiaries gain direct access to round-the-clock mental health support, ensuring prompt and effective assistance for their mental health concerns.
Tele MANAS:
About:
- Tele-MANAS, launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in October 2022, is a pioneering initiative aimed at delivering free tele-mental health services across India, especially to remote or underserved regions. Structured in a two-tier system, it combines state-level Tele-MANAS cells (Tier 1) with specialists available through the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) and medical college resources (Tier 2).
- Currently there are 51 operational Tele-MANAS cells spread across all 36 States and Union Territories, providing services in 20 different languages. The initiative offers a toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416), along with an alternate number (1-800-891-4416), allowing callers to choose their preferred language for assistance. Utilizing an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), the service ensures an auto-call back approach, ensuring timely support.
- Upon receiving a call, a trained counselor attends to the caller's needs. Depending on the level of care required, the counselor either provides appropriate assistance or refers the caller to a mental health specialist. These specialists, including clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, psychiatric nurses, or psychiatrists, offer audio and video-based consultations for more specialized care.
- In cases necessitating urgent in-person intervention or complex evaluations, callers are referred to the nearest physical consultation service, which could be Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) or tertiary care centers under the DMHP. Additionally, audio-visual consultations can be arranged through eSanjeevani, ensuring comprehensive care delivery.
Aim:
- To provide universal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24X7 tele-mental health services as a digital component of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) across all Indian States and UTs with assured linkages.
Objectives:
- To exponentially scale up the reach of mental health services to anybody who reaches out, across India
- To implement a full-fledged mental health-service network that provides integrated medical and psychosocial interventions including video consultations with mental health specialists, e-prescriptions, follow-up services and linkages to in-person services.
- To extend services to vulnerable groups of the population and difficult to reach populations.
