Chhatramanas scheme: Govt medical colleges to have cells dedicated to address mental health issues

Various activities under the scheme will include setting up of a helpline number, talks by experts on mental-health, involving NGOs working in the sector and improving dialogue between students and teachers. The committee will be responsible to submit a review of all the activities every three months.

In order to conduct all these activities effectively, every government medical college will have a dedicated cell with two counsellors on board who will be contractual employees. The Government Resolution (GR) issued in this regard by the medical education department also prescribes educational qualifications required for individuals to be hired as counsellors on 11-month contracts.

The GR states, “In today’s busy, digital age and increasing competition, human life is affected on a daily basis, physically as well as mentally. While physical ailments are identified and receive treatments, mental health related issues are ignored and remain unidentified. This leads to serious issues in future such as depression, suicide among others. In order to avoid this, it is important to identify these issues from the start and therapy or counselling can be the first step toward it.”

The concerns about mental health issues were first raised during a meeting between GMC students and Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Science (MUHS) Lt. Gen Madhuri Kanitkar in January this year. Students had spoken about stress experienced in colleges. As a result of this meeting a proposal was submitted by the commissioner of medical education to the state medical education department, recommending the scheme.