Over 77K hospital admissions worth Rs 87 cr authorised for mental health packages under AB-PMJAY: Centre

New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Under the flagship Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), more than 77,000 hospital admissions worth Rs 87 crore have been authorised for mental health-related packages, said the government on Tuesday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said that "77,634 hospital admissions worth Rs 87 crore have been authorised" till March 21.

The latest national master of the Health Benefit Package (HBP), under the AB PM-JAY, provided cashless healthcare services for "1961 procedures across 27 medical specialties".

This includes "22 procedures under mental disorder speciality such as intellectual disability, schizophrenia, schizotypal, delusional disorders, autism spectrum disorder, etc, to eligible beneficiaries," Jadhav said.

The States have been provided flexibility to further customise the HBP to the local context.

Further, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has issued a master circular on health insurance business on May 29, 2024, vide which insurers are required to provide a wider choice to policyholders by offering products catering to all types of existing medical conditions, pre-existing diseases and chronic conditions.

Insurers are also mandated to make available products in compliance with the provisions of the Mental Health Care Act, 2017, the MoS said.

In line with the above provisions, products are available in the market providing coverage for mental illness as per the respective product designs of the insurers, Jadhav said.

Further, the MoS noted that to provide affordable and accessible mental healthcare facilities in the country, the government is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country.

The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), a component of the NMHP, has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts for which support is provided to states and UTs through the National Health Mission, Jadhav stated.

Facilities made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders and drugs, among others.

In addition, there is a provision of 10 bedded in-patient facilities at the district level, Jadhav said.

The government is also taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at the primary healthcare level. The government has upgraded more than 1.75 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders (MNS) have been added to the packages of services provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Jadhav informed.

Under the tertiary care component of NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in PG departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities, he said.

Further, the Centre has also supported 19 government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 PG departments in mental health specialties.

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