Budget 2022: Nirmala Sitharaman announces national tele mental health programme

Union Budget 2022: Nirmala Sitharaman said that because of the closure of schools, children, particularly those in the rural areas and those from weaker sections, had lost almost two years of formal education.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget today, announced a national tele-mental health program will be launched for mental health counselling.

A network of 23 tele mental health centres will be set up to help people under mental distress, Sitharaman announced amid claps from Members of Parliament. The programme will help provide quality counselling and care services.

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) will be the nodal centre for the programme and the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bangalore will provide tech support for the programme.

“The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counseling and care services, a National Tele Mental Health program will be launched,” Sitharaman announced.

The Covid pandemic has led to lockdowns, curfews, job losses and deaths of family members putting pressure on the minds of citizens. The programme will aim to provide counselling to anyone in need apart from a host of other benefits.

India has had a National Mental Health Programme since 1982 providing access to health services, counselling and suicide prevention methods. The tele mental health feature will add another key service to the programme.

An open platform for the National Digital Health Ecosystem will also be rolled out, Sitharaman said.

"It will consist of digital registries of health providers and health facilities, unique health identity and universal access to health facilities," she added.

Sitharaman is presenting her fourth consecutive Budget today. This is the second time that the Union Budget has gone paperless and is being read from a 'Made in India' tablet by the Finance Minister.