From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 6: Karnataka’s ‘E-Manas’ programme can be implemented nationwide for streamlining mental healthcare as mental health is as important as physical health, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday.
“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,’’ he said addressing the 14th Conference of Central Council of Health & Family Welfare (CCHFW), the apex advisory body for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) in Gujarat.
The three-day conference termed as the “Swasthya Chintan Shivir” is being held at Kevadia inb Gujarat till May 7.
Sessions in the conference focuses on themes such as affordable, accessible and equitable health for all, preparing India for future health emergencies, Heal in India and Heal by India etc.
The conference also had a session consisting of state Health Ministers sharing best practices in the health sector in their respective states. As a part of this session, Dr Sudhakar explained about Karnataka's E-Manas software.
E-Manas
Addressing the conference, the Minister said Karnataka has developed a comprehensive and innovative software platform for Mental Health called E-Manas and was launched in June 2020 which consisted of over 12 projects to address mental health.
E-Manas is an Internet based, state-wide registry of mental health professionals, establishments and patients, Dr Sudhakar said.
He further stated that it will be a one stop destination for all mental health activity but he assured that the data will be stored secretly and it will be secure.
The Minister informed Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya that Karnataka will be integrating 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.
One such project is the Manochaitanya clinics, he said mentioning that when the COVID-19 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), Minister Sudhakar said.
The other programs for mental health include Mathru Chaitanya that provides counseling to pregnant and lactating women; Manasadhara (Day Care Centers) program provides rehabilitation day care to those recovering from mental illness; Dawa and Dua programme that combines faith healing along with medications for those with mental illness.
Additionally, the Minister said the Karnataka Health Department is working with NIMHANS to train PHC doctors to treat mental health conditions.
Dr Sudhakar stated that E-Manas is a mobile compatible, easy to use software and suggested that the software could be rolled out across the nation to streamline mental healthcare.
Vision Document
Minister 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 and Investment, he added.