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Journalism of Courage
Addressing the 14th Conference of Central Council of Health & Family Welfare (CCHFW), the apex advisory body for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) at Kevadia in Gujarat, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that Karnataka’s E-Manas can be implemented across the nation for streamlining mental healthcare.
As a part of a session at the conference, the health ministers shared best practices in their respective states. Sudhakar said that Karnataka has developed a comprehensive and innovative software platform for mental health called E-Manas which was launched in June 2020. “Modern lifestyle is leading people to become victims of mental ailments and the Karnataka government and its health department had developed many programs to combat this. E-Manas is an internet based, statewide registry of mental health professionals, establishments and patients. It is a one stop destination for all mental health activities and the data stored is secure. E-Manas is a mobile compatible, easy to use software and it could be rolled out across the nation to streamline mental healthcare,” he said.
E-Manas was developed by NIMHANS and International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB).
The conference has been dubbed as ‘Swasthya Chintan Shivir’.
Sudhakar told Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya that Karnataka will integrate E-Manas with other platforms currently in use including Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka, Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Directories and NIC’s (National Informatics Center) E-Hospital framework.
Speaking about Manochaitanya clinics which were started during the pandemic, Sudhakar said, “When the pandemic began, the government observed fear, apprehension and stigma among COVID-19 patients which even led to some patients taking their own lives. With the Manochaitanya clinic, mental health professionals would go from house to house and counsel COVID-19 patients. In addition to this, 27 lakh COVID-19 patients were tele-counseled with help from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS). Mental health should get the same importance as physical health.”
He said that the Karnataka health department is working with NIMHANS to train PHC doctors to treat mental health conditions.
Sudhakar said that Karnataka has come up with a vision document for health prepared by around 500 professionals from various disciplines to bring a holistic and comprehensive approach to healthcare. The document is based on the principle of 5 Is’ – Intervention, Integration, Implementation, Innovation & Investment.
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