Mental Health in Union Budget:
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting Union Budget 2022-23, the coronavirus pandemic has, pointed out mental health problems in people of all categories and age groups.
Key Highlights:
- Union budget 2022-2024 mentions mental health.
- 23 Tele-mental Health centers.
On Tuesday, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech, set forth a national tele-mental health program. Primary with the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted mental health problems across all age categories.
FM Nirmala Sitharaman ascertained her fourth Budget. She began her speech by saying,
“empathy for those who had to bear adverse health and economic effects of the pandemic”.
Further, she said that an open platform for the National Digital Health Ecosystem would be rolled out. She also added,
“It will consist of digital registries of health services and health facilities, sole health identity and universal approach to health facilities”.
Tele-Mental Health Centers in Union Budget 2022-23:
Sitharaman announced a national tele-mental health plan to enhance the approach to quality mental health counselling and care services. It will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of high quality with the National Institute of Mental health and Neurosciences [NIMHNANS] as the nodal centre.
Finance Minister glorified by her words,
“The crises has accentuated mental health concerns in people of all ages. A National Tele Mental Health plan will be initiated to a better approach to quality mental health counselling and care services”.
About this National Tele-Mental Health program
The project will also be beheld up by the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru. Most public health experts have indicated the problems created by a parallel crisis of mental health issues.
Over the last two years, it has spoiled the country, along with the COVID-19 situations.
She further expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Budget.
The finance minister also said the country is expected to grow at 9.2 per cent in the current financial year. Whereas Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, hailed the Union Budget 2022-23. He said it focused on health infrastructure, mental health, and other provisions.
“There was focus on health infrastructure, mental health and other provisions in today’s budget,” Pawar told ANI. Dr Pratima Murthy, director of the Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, called it a “fantastic opportunity to reach out to masses”.
She added,
“This initiative was much needed and timely considering the lack of awareness. It will also help us identify, diagnose, and ensure people are referred to the right places for help”. Further, she said, “We are looking at the rollout soon”.
According to the Government of India’s National Health Mission, six to seven per cent of the population suffers from mental disorders.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it also notes that one in four families is likely to have at least one member with a behavioural or mental illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Worldwide, pandemic-induced job losses, lack of social contact, and anxiety have been some factors that have led to an increase in mental health issues.
In November last year, the National Crime Record Bureau report showed that in India, Suicide cases increased by 10 per cent in 2020 while the crises, while nearly 400 Indians died by suicide each day in 2020.
The situation, experts believe, has not been much better even before the pandemic as the National Mental Health Survey in 2016 had found out that about 70-80 per cent of those with mental illness in India received no treatment.
There have been concerns that the absence of access to mental health services may have been dramatically increased during the crisis’s years.
Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao has expressed happiness over Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement on mental health during the Budget 2022 speech.
Editd By- Subbuthai Padma
Published By- Satheesh kumar
