Meghalaya on Tuesday became the third state in the country to have a comprehensive policy for mental health and social care. The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the Meghalaya mental health and social care policy, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced on Twitter.
“As a State and as a Government, we strongly felt that mental health issues have been neglected for a very long time and hence, a comprehensive policy was required to address the same,” he said.
He also added that this policy will ensure proper attention to mental health especially for children, adolescents and youth.
The vision of the Meghalaya mental health and social care policy is to promote overall mental health and well-being and facilitate appropriate access and care pathways for common and severe mental health concerns. It aims to reduce the extent of disability, morbidity, mortality, and social suffering.
The policy seeks to address the social determinants of mental ill-health and ensure cultural security through collaborative engagement with the communities it intends to serve.
Health minister James K Sangma on Tuesday tweeted, “The policy is culturally rooted in our state and looks to address the stigma linked with mental health. The policy is also community-centric and will improve recognition, rehabilitation and reformation, necessary for creating awareness and building support systems.”
“With the pandemic highlighting the need to devise an inclusive and robust institutional response, especially for vulnerable groups, our Government is committed towards improving the psychological and overall social well-being of our people through this policy,” he added.
Besides Meghalaya, Kerala and Karnataka are the other two states in the country to have such policies.
