Government Launched Mental Health Service As Tele-MANAS

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced the Tele-MANAS 24/7 Telemental health assistance and networking programme during the occasion of World Mental Health Day. With a focus on those who live in isolated or underserved locations, Tele-MANAS seeks to offer 24/7 free tele-mental health services all across the nation.

For callers to choose their preferred language when receiving services, a toll-free, round-the-clock helpline number (14416) has been established throughout the nation. The service hotline number is 1-800-91-4416. Calls would be forwarded to Tele-MANAS cells in the appropriate state and union territory.

The Government of India declared National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) in the Union Budget 2022–23 in recognition of the mental health crisis following the COVID–19 pandemic and an immediate need to create a digital mental health network that will withstand the challenges amplified by the pandemic. Tele-MANAS seeks to offer 24/7 free tele-mental health services all around the nation, with a focus on those who live in isolated or underserved locations.

With NIMHANS serving as the nodal centre and the International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIITB) providing technology assistance, the programme encompasses a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence. The technical assistance would be given by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHRSC) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, several number of states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, will launch the program.