Why mental healthcare has been ignored
Kashmir valley has been faced with a crisis like situation in terms of the mental healthcare facilities that are available here. The sector has witnessed official apathy as well as the burdening increase of patients as the Valley is faced with a conflict situation since the past three decades now.
However, what is worrisome is the official lethargy that has led to creation of more messy situation rather than helping out the cause to improve the mental healthcare facilities. No concrete move has been ensured to improve access to diagnostic and treatment services for psychiatric disorders by providing the necessary infrastructure at the lone Psychiatric and other district hospitals in the state.
Notably, as much as 45 per cent of the population of the Kashmir Valley is suffering from mental distress. A survey conducted by an international NGO had pointed out that 1.8 million adults in the Valley show symptoms of significant mental distress.
According to the survey, 41 per cent of people exhibit symptoms of probable depression, 26 per cent show symptoms of probable anxiety and 19 per cent show symptoms of probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The estimated prevalence for all mental disorders was significantly higher for women than men. For instance, 50 per cent of women and 37 per cent of men have probable depression while 36 per cent of women and 21 per cent of men have a probable anxiety disorder.
However, the figures notwithstanding, the state government has failed to improve upon the mental care facilities in the states, especially Kashmir Valley.
A centrally-sponsored mental health programme meant to improve access to diagnostic and treatment services has failed to take off in Kashmir even though the need to establish such type of facilities is the need of the hour.
It was in 2016, that a centrally sponsored district mental health program (DMHP) was launched in four districts of Kashmir viz. Pulwama, Shopian, Bandipora and Ganderbal, by directorate of health services Kashmir.
The program was meant to improve access to diagnostic and treatment services for psychiatric disorders by providing a team of experts as well as infrastructure at district hospitals. However, three years on, except for district hospital Pulwama, the program has remained confined to OPD services only.
Medicos associated with mental healthcare point out that the lack of manpower to tackle the increased rush of patients is proving a major impediment. This handicap has led to the fact that all such initiatives taken by the government fail to take off.
As no attention was provided to improve the mental healthcare facilities in the Valley the diagnostic and treatment services have remained centralized to Srinagarís tertiary care hospitals, thus posing hurdles in access and seeking treatment.
In district hospitals where providing mental healthcare facilities should have been a priority, the ground situation reflects negligence and indifference. The non-availability of mental healthcare facilities at district level is proving an impediment for those who suffer from any mental disorder.
Traveling to Srinagar for seeking medical advice is proving to be costly for such poor patients and the result is that they avoid seeking treatment resulting in their health getting worse with every passing day.
KV Network
