National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-16

NMHS
pointed out that some of the barriers to the
implementation of the NMHP included poor
funding, limited undergraduate training in
psychiatry, inadequate mental health human
resources, limited number of models and their
evaluation, uneven distribution of resources
across states on the implementation of the
Mental Health Act 1987, and privatisation of
healthcare in the 1990s.
Over time, several reviews and evaluations
have been undertaken to understand,
identify issues and propose corrective steps
for improving the NMHP. The summary of a
few major ones are highlighted below.
proforma information from 27 general
hospital psychiatric units. The review of
mental hospitals revealed that the physical
infrastructure and living arrangements were
inadequate in most hospitals. Patients’ rights
with respect to privacy and dignity were
grossly violated. Hospitals did not have
the adequate number of professional staff.
Medical management was the mainstay of
intervention, with psychosocial treatment
almost absent. Policy makers, professionals
and users were not aware of human rights
related issues. On the whole, mental health
care in mental hospitals was custodial rather
than therapeutic.
2.2.1 Quality Assurance in
Mental Health
2.2.2 National survey of Mental
Health Resources
The National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) in 1997, in collaboration with
National Institute of Mental Health and
Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) under took a
detailed evaluation of the status of mental
health in the country under the Quality
Assurance in Mental Health initiative(24).
This included obtaining information on
a pre-designed proforma from 37 mental
hospitals throughout the country, personal
visits to 33 mental hospitals, visits to
7 private psychiatric institutions and
Pursuant to the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme
Court in response to the tragedy at Erwady in
the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu,
a national survey of mental health resources,
was carried out by the Directorate General
of Health Services, Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare from May to July, 2002 (25).
The survey reported an alarming deficit
of 77% for psychiatrists, 97% for clinical
psychologists, and 90% for psychiatric social
workers. The state of the mental hospitals
surveyed was also not satisfactory.
Following the shocking incident of Erwady tragedy in the Ramanathapuram district of
Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court took suomoto notice of the incident and directed the
Union of India to “conduct a survey on an all-India basis with a view to identify registered
and unregistered ‘asylums’ as also about the state of facilities available in such ‘asylums’
for treating mentally challenged”. The order of the Supreme Court in the Erwady case also
included a mental health needs assessment in all states. It ordered that licenses be issued
to private homes looking after the mentally ill, mandated a district monitoring committee
for periodic inspection of the facilities, directed that destitute recovered mentally ill be
admitted in government or non-government facilities. It strictly advocated that all the
recommendations of the NHRC and SHRC be ‘implemented scrupulously’.
AIR1979SC1369, 1979CriLJ1045, (1980)1SCC98, [1979]3SCR532
SMHSA
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