Establishing a new milestone in the field of mental health on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Governor of Karnataka, launched the Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, in the presence of Dr. K. Sudhakar, Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education, Karnataka & Vice-President.
National Tele Mental Health Programme
In the Union Budget 2022-23, the Government of India announced the National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP). Tele-MANAS aims to provide free tele-mental health services around the clock throughout the country, with a focus on people in remote or underserved areas. The programme includes a network of 23 excellences tele-mental health centres, with NIMHANS serving as the node and the International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIITB) providing technology support.
Technical assistance will be provided by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bengaluru and the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHRSC).
Helpline number for availing the service
A toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416) has been set up across the country allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services. Service is also accessible with 1-800-91-4416. The calls would be routed to Tele-MANAS cells in the respective state and union territory.
Tele-MANAS will be organised in two tier system; Tier 1 comprises of state Tele-MANAS cells which include trained counsellors and mental health specialists. Tier 2 will comprise of specialists at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)/Medical College resources for physical consultation and/or e-Sanjeevani for audio visual consultation. Presently there are 5 regional coordination centres along with 51 State/UT Tele MANAS cells.
The initial rollout is being customised for use across all States and UTs, providing basic support and counselling through a centralised Interactive Voice Response system (IVRS). This will not only aid in the provision of immediate mental health services, but will also facilitate the continuum of care.
The programme envisions specialised care by connecting Tele-MANAS to other services such as National tele-consultation service, e-Sanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, mental health professionals, Ayushman Bharat health and wellness centres, and emergency psychiatric facilities. This will eventually include the entire spectrum of mental wellness and illness, as well as the integration of all systems that provide mental health care. NIMHANS has trained 900 Tele MANAS counsellors from the majority of states/territories.
The mentoring institutes are as follows: AIIMS, Patna, AIIMS Raipur, CIP Ranchi, AIIMS Bhopal, AIIMS Kalyani, AIIMS Bhubaneshwar, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Hospital for Mental Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Inst. of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour Bambolim Goa, AIIMS, Nagpur, AIIMS, Jodhpur, KGMU Lucknow, AIIMS Rishikesh, IHBAS, Delhi, IGMS, Shimla, Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Govt. Medical College, Srinagar, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, IMHANS, Kozhikode, Kerala, IMH, Chennai, IMH, Hyderabad, JIPMER and AIIMS, Mangalagiri.
Services will be launched in these states
States/UTs launching Tele Mental Health Programme today include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
