BENGALURU: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday commended Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States), a programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for serving about 70 lakh patients with its 53 centres across the country since its launch in 2022.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of golden jubilee celebrations of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Murmu termed Tele-MANAS platform has been a “transformative service” in the country and lauded the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Services for its continued support to Tele-MANAS platform.
Under the Tele-MANAS programme, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare offers counselling on mental health through professionals, psychiatric consultations, referral services, toll-free helpline and on mobile app.
Murmu said “There is a growing awareness on mental health and initiatives such as Tele-MANAS have enabled individuals to seek help more openly by individuals.”
She stated NIMHANS has been at the forefront of addressing the concerns of mental health including collaborations in child and adolescent mental health, genetic research and neurodegenerative disorders.
The President expressed happiness over 97.9 percent of undergraduate students and 71.4 percent of postgraduate students being women in NIMHANS and stated NIMHANS has been an undisputed leader in mental health and neurosciences through its innovative research and rigorous academic programmes.
Murmu said NIMHANS exemplified the successful integration of modern healthcare systems with traditional methods such as yoga and Ayurveda to alleviate mental and physical distress.
In his address, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jayaprakash Nadda lauded NIMHANS stating that the patient footfall in NIMHANS grew more than five fold. The patient footfall was under 10 lakhs in 1970s to over 50 lakh in the last decade. Nadda said the scale at which NIMHANS treats its immense patient footfall makes the Institute a leader in quality healthcare in the country.
