Shillong: The foundation stone for SANKER Nursing Home extension was unveiled by Ram Muivah, Secretary of the North Eastern Council, on Wednesday.
The Rs 3.5-crore project was proposed about 10 years ago but it suffered procedural delays. Addressing a gathering at the function, Muivah said 40% of the funds have been released for the project which is to be completed in two years.
Earlier, Dr Sandi Syiem, the Managing Trustee of SANKER, said the extension will cater to children, victims of substance abuse and the elderly who suffer mental disorders and depression and also afford palliative care to those suffering from terminal stage cancer or HIV-AIDS.
Syiem and his team also aspire to build a teaching institution for imparting training in treating mentally challenged patients.
Speaking about the growing challenge of mental health due to substance abuse, Syiem highlighted that one suicide occurs every 40 seconds and one out of five women and one out of seven men die of suicide in India.
“Sixty five million people in this country consume alcohol, eight million take cannabis, two million take opiates and 76 percent become dependent on these substances. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights says intravenous use of heroin is the highest in Meghalaya after Punjab. But we have no resources to tackle these gigantic challenges,” Syiem said.
Speaking of the shortage of mental health care givers, Syiem said for every one lakh mental health patients there are only 0.3 psychiatrists, .166 trained nurses in psychiatry, 0.04 psychologists, .03 trained social workers and 2.5 beds.
“The shortage is dire but the total allocation for heath in the country is only 4.6 percent of the annual budget of which 0.06 percent is allocated for mental health.”
Stating that one-third of the people in India suffer from Schizophrenia, half the population suffer from depression and 75 percent are substance abusers with no access to care, stigmatisation, no resources within the family and criminalisation (to support the substance use), a large chunk of the population are falling between the cracks.
“It is this frightening scenario that has triggered a response in SANKER to create a place where people can come for rehabilitation and healthcare,” Syiem said.
Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills PS Dkhar, who is heading the Project Implementation Committee, said he would do his best to ensure that the project does not suffer from any delays.
Dkhar said funds in the health sector tend to be concentrated on other facets of health whereas mental health requires priority treatment.
The DC admitted that the information on mental healthcare challenges was an eye opener.
Muivah, who also unveiled the plaque for the new building, lauded the efforts of Syiem and his team in undertaking a task that requires commitment and dedication.
“For the team at SANKER every day is a challenge and the NEC is privileged to be supporting such a noble project. Hence I have brought along my whole team with me which includes the Hea;th Adviser and other officials,” Muival said, adding that SANKER with its beautiful surroundings is a perfect place for a sanatorium.
