“It is also an important priority to
address the stigma experienced by persons who are mentally ill. They
should not continue to be subjected to neglect and marginalisation,” he
said at an event at the National Institute of Mental Health and
Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS) to dedicate it as an institute of
national importance.
Mukherjee lauded the objective of the
National Mental Health Policy to speedily integrate mental health care
services into general health care as part of non-communicable diseases,
highlighting that India got its first comprehensive mental health policy
only as recently as October.
“I am glad to note that it (the policy)
covers several aspects of mental health – including the rights of the
mentally ill, the need to provide support to care givers,
decriminalisation of suicide – and other progressive policy
initiatives,” he said, stressing the need to ensure priority to develop
mental healthcare professionals and innovative methods to deliver care.
Mukherjee called upon medical institutions to adopt IT to invigorate healthcare delivery.
“The use of IT to invigorate health care
delivery also helps in reducing costs, optimising resource management
and minimising paper work. The e-hospital and e-project programmes taken
up by NIMHANS are, therefore, excellent initiatives, worthy of
emulation by other institutions,” he said.
Appreciating NIMHANS’ initiatives like
brain bank, free legal aid clinic in its outpatient block, centre for
well being, centre for public health and centre for addiction medicine,
he said: “I have no doubt that NIMHANS will continue to inspire and
support the development of the mental health sector at state, national
and even international levels.”
Source : IndianMediaBook - Press Briefing
