DW Bureau | Chandigarh, June 10: The Departments of Community Medicine and Psychiatry at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh, organized a Mental Health Systems Assessment (MHSA) Consensus Meeting under the National Mental Health Survey-2 (NMHS-2) on Wednesday. Welcoming the participants, Prof. Dinesh Kumar Walia highlighted the significance of collaborative efforts in strengthening mental healthcare services. Prof. Ravneet Kaur, Director Principal, GMCH-32, stressed the importance of evidence-based planning for improving mental health services and appreciated the work of the NMHS-2 team.

Sunil Kumar, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, attended as the Guest of Honour and underscored the need to treat mental health as an essential component of overall health and well-being.

Dr. Sonia Puri, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, and Prof. Priti Arun from the Department of Psychiatry presented an overview of NMHS-2 and the Mental Health Systems Assessment. They said the survey would cover all 28 states and eight Union Territories, providing state-wise estimates of mental morbidity based on ICD-11 criteria, assessing treatment gaps, documenting pathways to care, evaluating mental health systems, and developing state-specific fact sheets and action plans.

The speakers also reviewed the findings of the National Mental Health Survey-1 (2015-16), which assessed the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders, treatment gaps, healthcare utilization, disability, and the status of mental health services across the country. NMHS-2, they said, aims to build upon these findings with expanded coverage and updated methodologies.

During the meeting, participants noted that more than one billion people worldwide live with mental disorders, highlighting the need for stronger mental health systems. Discussions also focused on key national initiatives, including the National Mental Health Programme (1982), National Mental Health Policy (2014), and the Mental Healthcare Act (2017).

The meeting reviewed Chandigarh's mental health infrastructure, workforce availability, training programmes, stakeholder partnerships, monitoring mechanisms, and ongoing initiatives such as integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare services, mobile mental health services, community outreach programmes, awareness campaigns, and implementation of mental health legislation.

Dr. Girish Rao of NIMHANS joined the meeting virtually and appreciated the efforts of the Chandigarh team. He said NMHS-2 would generate crucial evidence for strengthening mental health services and reducing treatment gaps across the country.

The programme concluded with stakeholder consultations and consensus-building discussions aimed at formulating recommendations to improve mental healthcare services in Chandigarh and support evidence-based policy planning under NMHS-2.