SHILLONG, Oct 9: SANKER, a mental healthcare institution, on Saturday observed World Mental Health Day during which senior psychiatrist, Dr Eddie Mukhim, rued how most resources, in the past two years, have been channeled towards COVID-19 treatment while mental health has been severely neglected.
Dr Mukhim, further stressing on the theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’, said, “As it is, the Health Budget is only about two per cent of the state’s budget and mental health is allocated an insignificant amount, thereby making the treatment of mental illness a huge challenge due to paucity of resources. The number of psychiatrists in India for one lakh population is only 0.42 per cent psychologists 0.06 per cent psychologists and only 0.5 per cent available beds.”
Pointing out that COVID-19 has led to poverty and other related problems like domestic violence and pangs of social distancing, Dr Mukhim argued that mental health problems in people tend to get worse due to these factors.
Others who spoke during the programme include Director, SANKER, Dr Sandi Syiem, CEO of Mental Health Authority of Meghalaya, Dr Hannah Lyndem, relatives of patients at SANKER, among others.
