Maharashtra to commence Four new mental health courses in three regional hospitals

Mumbai: In a major boost to mental healthcare in Maharashtra, the State Health Department has initiated the process of commencing four courses related to mental health in three regional mental hospitals in Thane, Pune and Nagpur.

Although this initiative under the National Mental Health Mission had been approved three years ago, it is finally being implemented in reality. It aims to produce more specialist doctors and full up the vacant post at these three hospitals.

Indian Express adds that only three out of nine posts at Nagpur mental hospital have been filled and the hospital admits around 1,400 people on annual basis. The situation in Thane Medical Hospital is not goo either since all the eight posts of psychiatrists were lying vacant at the facility until August 2022.

In order to deal with scarcity of manpower in these hospitals, the State Health Department has decided introducing courses for medical students on management of mental illnesses. 

These courses include diploma courses in psychiatric nursing, MD in psychiatry, M Phil courses in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work. Pune mental hospital has already commenced some of these courses and Pune was also the first for opening a centre of excellence for mental wellbeing in Maharashtra.

Further the State Health Department data reveals that courses like M Phil in Clinical Psychology and Psychiatric social work will accommodate 16 students each. Altogether 40 students would be appointed for psychiatric nursing and another four for MD Psychiatry.

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While mental health has emerged a one of the biggest health concerns in India, around 70 per cent posts in this regard are vacant in the four regional hospitals of Maharashtra.

While commenting on this, the Director of Health Services, Dr. Sadhana Tayade told The Indian Express, "The current shortage of skilled health workers to provide mental health services will make it difficult to deal with mental health problems in the years to come, if the shortage isn't addressed on time. The need of the hour is thus to increase the number of trained personnel providing mental health services at all levels."

However, this new project will help these three hospitals to turn into centres of excellence and focus on training of mental health teams, increase awareness, reduce stigma related to mental health problems, provide services for early detection, treat mental illness and collect valuable data.