National Task Force on Brain Health set up under Leadership of Dr Rajinder Dhamija

New Delhi: The government has taken a significant step towards prioritizing brain health by establishing the National Task Force on Brain Health. This initiative is being led by Dr Rajinder K Dhamija, Director of the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).

The creation of the task force marks a substantial move towards placing brain health at the forefront of the national healthcare agenda.  

NITI Aayog's Health & Family Welfare Division has recently released an office memorandum for the constitution of the “National Task Force on Brain Health” for strengthening Brain Healthcare and services in India. The memo mentioned that Brain Health is an emerging and growing concept encompassing preventive, promotive and rehabilitative domains to provide and ensure Brain Health for all as part of universal health coverage and to accomplish SDGs. The Task Force has been instructed to submit its report by the 15th of July 2024. 

The memo stated, "A pragmatic approach for effective strategies on surveillance, prevention, acute care and rehabilitation are needed urgently to provide easily accessible services for promotion, protection and recovery of Neurological Health and Care in India. Accordingly, it has been proposed to constitute a “National Task Force on Brain Health” with technical experts in the field of neurological care and science, and concerned ministries to review the gaps in-depth and make recommendations."

"Disorders of the nervous system are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for 9 million deaths per year. In the past three decades, most studies in India have shown a high disease burden for specific diseases including stroke, epilepsy, headache, Parkinson's disease, and dementia, mostly reported for the urban Indian population. Despite progress in improving access to national health care, disparities persist based on socioeconomic status, age, geography, and gender", the memo added.

The task force will recommend pathways to improve accessibility and quality of Brain health at primary, secondary and tertiary health care levels and it will also come up with specific action to be taken for strengthening and creating a robust, structured system to provide effective, timely diagnosis, treatment and care to patients with Neurological disorders.

The task force will be responsible for formulating strategies for promoting, managing, and preventing Neurological Disorders in Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs. It will also recommend ways to create systems for supportive rehabilitation infrastructure, equipped to provide services and interventions aimed at enhancing overall well-being and functioning for individuals living with Neurological conditions.

Dr Dhamija's leadership is expected to guide the task force in its efforts to address various brain health concerns, including mental health disorders, neurological diseases, and overall cognitive well-being. The task force includes well-qualified members like Ms Indrani Kaushal, Economic Adviser, MoHFW, Ms Radhika Chakravarthy B, Joint Secretary (Social Defence), Prevention of Drug Abuse, PMU, MoSJE, Shri Rajesh Yadav, Joint Secretary, DePwD, MoSJE, Dr Suvarna Alladi, NIMHANS, Dr Manjari Tripathi, HOD, Neurology, AIIMS, Dr Veena Kalra, Ex-Professor & Head Paediatrics, AIIMS, Dr Ravinder Singh, Neuro-rehabilitation Scientist, ICMR, and Shri Rajib Kumar Sen, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog. 

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