# Kerala psychiatrists push for new mental health policy 2026-08-08T07:55:18+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Kerala branch of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) has asked the State government to appoint psychiatrists as heads of government mental health centres and replace the 2013 State mental health policy with one aligned to the Mental Healthcare Act 2017. A delegation met Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum. The IPS argues that specialist institutions should be led by specialists, cancer centres by oncologists, cardiac institutes by cardiologists. It noted some government mental health centres are currently headed by non-psychiatrists due to the cadre system. The memorandum also called for modernising psychiatric wards, expanding community services, integrating mental healthcare into primary health centres, and increasing funding for training and anti-stigma campaigns. The Chief Minister assured the delegation the recommendations would be examined, IPS general secretary Anees Ali said. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Chief Minister Satheesan, government hospitals, health infrastructure, Indian Psychiatric Society, Kerala mental health policy, Mental Healthcare Act 2017 Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-psychiatrists-push-for-new-mental-health-policy/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-psychiatrists-push-for-new-mental-health-policy/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.