Now Reading: Kerala psychiatrists push for new mental health policy
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Kerala psychiatrists push for new mental health policy
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The IPS demand is eminently sensible: put specialists in charge of specialist hospitals. Yet the cadre system that places general administrators over mental health centres is a classic Kerala story, a well-intended egalitarian rule that ignores ground realities. The real test will be whether the government ties budget allocations to measurable outcomes, as the IPS suggests. Vague assurances from the Chief Minister are not enough. Watch for the next Kerala Budget: will it earmark specific funds for community mental health and training?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
