Curtain Raiser National Conference on ‘Moving Mental Health Beyond Institutions’ at Vigyan Bhawan on 26th July, 2023

Curtain Raiser: National Conference on ‘Moving Mental Health Beyond Institutions’ at Vigyan Bhawan on 26th July, 2023

Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare to inaugurate the Conference

Eminent professionals to share their thoughts at the Conference

New Delhi, 25th July, 2023

On 26th July, 2023, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India is organizing a National Conference on ‘Moving Mental Health Beyond Institutions’ at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Dr. Bharati Praveen Pawar, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India will be the Chief Guest and inaugurate the conference in the presence of NHRC Chairperson, Mr. Justice Arun Mishra, Members, Dr. Dnyaneshwar Manohar Mulay and Mr. Rajiv Jain, Secretary General, Mr. Bharat Lal, OSD & Secretary Designate (Health & family Welfare) Mr. Sudhansh Pant. Others stakeholders including District Sessions Judges, State Health Secretaries and Commissioners, Directors of all State Mental Health Care Institutions, Mental Health care professionals, subject experts, academicians, representatives of civil society will participate in the conference.

The aim of this conference is to deliberate upon the initiatives taken by the government to address the concerns of the mental healthcare systems and what further needs to be done for better implementation of ‘Mental Healthcare Act, 2017’. The conference also aims to raise awareness to obliterate the stigma attached to the mental health.

In a Public Interest Litigation, the Supreme Court vide its Order dated 11th November, 1997 mandated the NHRC to monitor the Mental Hospitals in Gwalior, Agra & both hospitals at Ranchi, and to give necessary directions to these institutions from time to time. The Commission expanded the scope of its monitoring to the other mental healthcare institutions of the country and engaged with various stakeholders to suggest measures to the government to improve the mental healthcare system. The Commission has been focusing on bringing in improvements in the health systems of the country.

In the recent past, the Commission visited the mental healthcare institutions and hospitals in Gwalior, Agra and Ranchi. The findings of the conditions in these institutions prompted the Commission to depute its Special Rapporteurs to visit all the 47 mental healthcare institutions in various states. Their findings resulted in a comprehensive Report on the ‘Status of implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017’ in the country and the related challenges. This Report will be released in the Conference.

The Commission has also worked on a book, ‘Mental Health- Concern for All: In Context of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017’ and the same will be released on this occasion. The book tries to incorporate significant aspects of mental health, such as the mental health of children, women, geriatric, LGBTQIA+, prison inmates; mental health and homelessness; disaster and mental health, among others. It also includes mental health policies and laws in India to make it serve the purpose of a reference book.

Besides the inaugural and valedictory sessions, during the conference, the deliberations will revolve on the following four thematic areas:

- Challenges in implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017;

- Infrastructure & human resource of mental health establishments – way forward;

- Rights of persons with mental illness, including reintegration, rehabilitation & empowerment; and

- Latest trends in critical care of mental health, international perspective & way forward.

The proceedings of the conference will be webcast live from 10.00 am onwards on 26.07.2023 using following links:

NIC : https://webcast.gov.in/nhrc

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1S5B1z10hY

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