Govt to set up National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation near Bhopal

Dr. Prabodh Seth, Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India today said that the government has decided to set up a National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) near Bhopal. The cost of the project would be Rs 179.54 crore in the first three years.

Speaking at the conference on ‘Re-thinking Mental Health’ organized by FICCI Aditya Birla CSR Centre for Excellence, Dr. Seth highlighted that the objectives of the NIMHR include providing rehabilitation services to people with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy-framing and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.

"Given the huge gulf in demand and supply, we are thinking of developing in-service training programs for persons employed in government organizations who can get effective training and be effective in providing basic rehabilitation services," said Dr. Seth.

Dr. Nimesh Desai, Director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), said, "Mental health is nowhere near the central agenda of the society. It is still a storm in a teacup. Scientific figures from the National Institute of Health put that rate at 49%."   

The conference included panel discussions on subjects such as 'Taking Mental Health to the General Public', 'Addressing Stigma and Community Participation in Mental Healthcare', 'Telling Our Stories: Lived Experience and the Importance of Ethical Reporting', 'Access to Mental Health Support at the Workplace: Offline and Online Professional Support' and 'It's Alright Not To Feel okay: Young and Adolescents'.