New Delhi: Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday said India is strengthening its preparedness to respond effectively to mental health emergencies, and is committed to ensuring equitable, affordable and inclusive access to mental health services.
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Nadda launched several initiatives for the National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS), which include enhancements such as Multi-lingual UI, Chatbot, Accessibility, and Emergency Module in the Tele MANAS app.
The app will now be available in 10 regional languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia and Punjabi, in addition to English and Hindi, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
This step is aimed at providing mental health support in regional languages for enhancing accessibility, it added.
Recognising that persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups face barriers in accessing digital health services, the app now includes accessibility features to make the interface more user-friendly for visually-impaired users, the ministry said.
A Chatbot feature, ‘Asmi’, has also been introduced, allowing users to engage with the app and seek information or help regarding mental health.
Also, emergency response content has been incorporated to ensure timely guidance and support during emergencies, the ministry said.
“A sound mind leads to a sound body and a healthy mind, and a healthy body leads to a healthy nation,” Nadda said.
“India is committed to ensuring equitable, affordable and inclusive access to mental health services. With the launch of the new features in the app, we are strengthening our preparedness to respond effectively to mental health emergencies and expanding the reach of digital innovations to every corner of the country.
“Moving a step closer towards normalising discussions around mental health is crucial to reducing stigma and highlighting mental health as an integral aspect of public health in India,” he added.
Nadda also said that actor Deepika Padukone has been designated as the mental health ambassador for raising awareness about access to mental health services.
Her involvement as a national advocate will help focus attention on mental health and encourage people to seek timely support through government-approved mental health resources, he said.
“The partnership with Deepika Padukone will help to widely disseminate awareness about mental health issues in India, normalise discussions to reduce stigma, and highlight mental health as an integral aspect of public health,” he said.
On the impact of Tele MANAS in providing mental health services to people, the health minister highlighted that “since its inception, it has handled around 28 lakh calls, with trained counsellors engaging in more than 20 languages”.
“Every day, about 4,000 people reach out for support, showing the effectiveness of the service in addressing mental health concerns,” Nadda said.
“Almost equal number of men and women seeking help demonstrates that awareness is growing among all groups,” he added.
Nadda also said the Tele-MANAS app allows people across India to receive help anytime, anywhere.
