Budget lacks focus on mental health: Experts
They hailed government’s proposal to encourage vaccination for girls in age group of 9 to 14 years for prevention of cervical cancer
IANS
Experts noted that the need to address mental health is urgent as approximately 150 million Indians require mental health care services, and there is a stark shortage of professionals -- only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.07 psychologists, and 0.07 social workers per 100,000 people
New Delhi: The Interim Budget presented on Thursday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lacks focus on mental health, rising cost of medical devices, said experts.
The experts hailed the government’s proposal to encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years for prevention of cervical cancer, and lauded the plan to make one comprehensive programme for various schemes for maternal child care.
“We welcome the announcements made by the government towards the health sector including the need for strengthening the primary healthcare facilities. But, as a mental health expert, we are disappointed that nothing much has been announced for strengthening mental health,” said Dr Jyoti Kapoor, Founder & Director, Manasthali Wellness.
“We had expected that mental illness would be included in the Ayushman Bharat scheme to increase accessibility to treatment for financially disadvantaged populations. We also wished that insurance policies and schemes cover mental illnesses to improve affordability,” she added. Experts noted that the need to address mental health is urgent as approximately 150 million Indians require mental health care services, and there is a stark shortage of professionals -- only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.07 psychologists, and 0.07 social workers per 100,000 people.
“While the interim budget lacked specific policies or initiatives for the mental health sector, we remain optimistic that post-election, the full budget will address this critical area,” said Dr Neerja Agarwal, Psychologist and Co-founder Emoneeds (Mental & Health Wellness).
The Budget also stressed on upgradation of anganwadi centres under saksham anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for improved nutrition delivery, early childhood care, and development.
“While the government's laudable efforts, such as cervical cancer vaccination and maternal healthcare schemes, tackle vital health concerns, there remains room for improvement.
