Tele Manas counsels Kashmir’s distressed souls

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CategoryYojana

Last Updated06/05/2023

Scarred by three decades of conflict and growing unemployment, the people of the State are reaching out for professional help over the telephone
The Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar has received 10,500 calls from people in distress across Jammu and Kashmir’s toll free numbers

Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative has been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare during October 2022.
It aims to provide free tele-mental health services all over the country round the clock, particularly catering to people in remote or under-served areas.

Counselling: The programme includes a network of 38 tele-mental health centres of excellence spread across 27 States and UTs working in over 20 languages.
Helpline: A toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416) has been set up across the country allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services.

Tele-MANAS will be organised in a two-tier system; Tier 1 comprises state Tele-MANAS cells which include trained counsellors and mental health specialists.
Tier 2 will comprise specialists at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)/Medical College resources for physical consultation and/or e-Sanjeevani for audio-visual consultation.

The initial rollout providing basic support and counselling through centralised Interactive Voice Response system (IVRS) is being customised for use across all States and UTs.
It is being linked with other services like National tele-consultation, e-Sanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat, mental health professionals, health centres, and emergency psychiatric facilities for specialised care.
This will not only help in providing immediate mental healthcare services, but also facilitate continuum of care.
Eventually, this will include the entire spectrum of mental wellness and illness, and integrate all systems that provide mental health care.