Mental health clinics to be set up in govt hospitals within a month

Guntur: The Medial and Health Department will set up mental health clinics at all the government hospitals across the State and render psychiatric services.

Training in this regard will also be imparted to doctors at PHCs. Due to increase in mental stress, students in corporate educational institutions and working women including software engineers are committing suicides. 

Poor patients suffering from mental health problems are not in a position to go to corporate or private hospitals for treatment. The Medical and Health department is feeling that psychiatric problems are increasing due to stress in rural areas also. The poor patients are not in a position to go to private hospitals. 

Sources in the Medical and Health Department informed that a psychiatrist and a social worker will be appointed at district-level mental health clinic. Similarly, doctors working at the PHCs will provide counselling to the patients.

As soon as a patient suffering from mental illness approaches the doctors at the PHCs, they will provide treatment and give medicines at free of cost.

If better treatment is required, the doctors at PHCs will refer the case to the mental health clinics at district headquarters. The government has already set up district-level committees to set up mental health clinics in all the districts in the State.  

Following instructions of the government, the DMHOs are making arrangements to impart training to the doctors at Primary Health Centres. Similarly, treatment will be given for psychiatric problems at Chandranna Sanchara Vaidyasala also. The government is making arrangements to supply medicines also.

DMHO Dr J Yasmin said “We will set up a mental health clinic at GGH in Guntur or government hospital at Tenali. The Guntur hospital already has a psychiatric ward. Similarly, the hospital in Vijayawada also has such a ward. We will impart training to the doctors at PHCs from December 15 and making necessary arrangements to start the mental health clinics.”