Priority must for HRD in mental health care, delivery: President Pranab Mukherjee

BENGALURU: Lauding the recently unveiled mental health policy, President Pranab Mukherjee today said that while formulating policy, government must always take care to ensure that due priority is given to human resource development in the field of mental health care and delivery.

"Today, there is an increasing realisation all over the world that there can be no health without mental health. Our country's first comprehensive mental health policy was notified only as recently as last October on the occasion of World Mental Health Day," Mukherjee said.

Expressing happiness that the policy covers several aspects of mental health, he said a bill on mental health care, currently under consideration in Parliament, also seeks to provide a robust legislative framework that assures standardised mental health services.

"I would stress that while formulating policy, our Government must always take care to ensure that due priority is given to human resource development in the field of mental health care and delivery. We also need to systematically devise innovative methods for enhancing the delivery of mental health care services," he added.

Mukherjee was speaking after dedicating the National Institute of Mental Health And Neurological Sciences, to the nation as an institute of national importance.

He also inaugurated the Magneto Encephalography Research Centre and NIMHANS Heritage Museum here in the presence of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Jagat Prakash Nadda.