Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

1 In 7 Indians Affected By Mental Health Disorders; Govt To Launch NIMHANS-2 To Boost Care

One in seven Indians, or over 14 percent of the population, suffers from some form of mental health disorder. Amid an increasing treatment gap -- up to 90 percent -- seen in several states, especially in North India, the government today reiterated the plan of launching a second National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in the northern states.

NIMHANS-2 was first announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget 2026-27, to deliver specialized care for mental health and neurological disorders in north India.

Health experts and policymakers, as part of the government-led Post-Budget Webinar series, highlighted the growing burden of mental and neurological disorders in India and also stressed the urgent need to strengthen institutional capacity to meet emerging healthcare demands. 

"One in seven Indians is affected by mental health disorders, while several states continue to face a treatment gap ranging from 70 to 90 percent," the experts said. 

Noting that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for over 60 percent of deaths in the country, they added that "neurological and mental health conditions are among the leading contributors to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)," among the citizens. 

<h2>Need For Tertiary Neuro-psychiatric Care</h2>

To address these, the experts called for ramping up tertiary mental health institutions and expanding specialized services. 

The session, moderated by Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that North India currently lacks adequate tertiary neuro-psychiatric care facilities. These include areas such as:

<ul><li>advanced neuroimaging, </li><li>neurocritical care, </li><li>specialized neurological services</li></ul>

Further, making a virtual address at the Post-Budget Webinar, Union Health Minister JP Nadda also highlighted the government’s focus on strengthening mental healthcare services in the country.

"NIMHANS-2 will be established in North India to expand advanced clinical care, training, and research," Nadda said. 

"In addition, the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi, and the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, will be upgraded as regional apex institutions to strengthen mental healthcare services in the eastern and north-eastern regions," he added. 

Meanwhile, the experts also stressed the need to improve services in underserved and geographically remote regions, including the northeastern states, through better infrastructure, capacity building, and targeted deployment of trained mental health professionals. 

They also discussed strategies for expanding advanced neuro-psychiatric care and reinforcing India’s overall mental healthcare ecosystem.  They proposed: 

<ul><li>Adopting a hub-and-spoke model supported by digital health platforms </li></ul>

This would allow tertiary institutions and centers of excellence to provide technical guidance, specialist consultations, and clinical support to district hospitals and community-level health facilities. 

"Such a model would strengthen referral pathways and ensure that specialized mental health services are accessible to people even in remote and rural areas," the experts said. 

<ul><li>Integrating services under Tele-MANAS </li></ul>

Both existing and upcoming campuses of NIMHANS must be integrated , as this will enable a robust nationwide tele-mental health network that ensures

<ul><li>timely counselling, </li><li>psychological support, </li><li>specialist consultations</li></ul>

<ul><li>Digital follow-up systems </li></ul>

The experts called for the seamless integration of healthcare facilities, aligned with the vision of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and the ABHA ID ecosystem. This, they said, will

<ul><li>enable continuity of care, </li><li>Improve monitoring of patients, </li><li>Lead to better clinical outcomes</li></ul>

<ul><li>A national Brain-Mind Cloud Network </li></ul>

The Network proposed under the National Health Mission would connect premier institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), state medical colleges, and primary healthcare centers through a digitally integrated platform. 

<ul><li>unified mental health records, </li><li>AI-based screening tools, </li><li>data-driven clinical decision support systems, </li><li>tele-neuro-psychiatric hubs at regional centers.</li></ul>

Health Conditions A-Z

health

mental health

JP Nadda

NIMHANS

Post Budget Webinar

Budget

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

neurological care

psychiatric care

ABHA ID

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One in seven Indians, or over 14 percent of the population, suffers from some form of mental health disorder. Amid an increasing treatment gap -- up to 90 percent -- seen in several states, especially in North India, the government today reiterated the plan of launching a second National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in the northern states.  NIMHANS-2 was first announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget 2026-27, to deliver specialized care for mental health and neurological disorders in north India.  Health experts and policymakers, as part of the government-led Post-Budget Webinar series, highlighted the growing burden of mental and neurological disorders in India and also stressed the urgent need to strengthen institutional capacity to meet emerging healthcare demands.  "One in seven Indians is affected by mental health disorders, while several states continue to face a treatment gap ranging from 70 to 90 percent," the experts said.  Noting that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for over 60 percent of deaths in the country, they added that "neurological and mental health conditions are among the leading contributors to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)," among the citizens.  Need For Tertiary Neuro-psychiatric CareTo address these, the experts called for ramping up tertiary mental health institutions and expanding specialized services.  The session, moderated by Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that North India currently lacks adequate tertiary neuro-psychiatric care facilities. These include areas such as:advanced neuroimaging, neurocritical care, specialized neurological services Further, making a virtual address at the Post-Budget Webinar, Union Health Minister JP Nadda also highlighted the government’s focus on strengthening mental healthcare services in the country.  "NIMHANS-2 will be established in North India to expand advanced clinical care, training, and research," Nadda said.  "In addition, the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi, and the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, will be upgraded as regional apex institutions to strengthen mental healthcare services in the eastern and north-eastern regions," he added.  Meanwhile, the experts also stressed the need to improve services in underserved and geographically remote regions, including the northeastern states, through better infrastructure, capacity building, and targeted deployment of trained mental health professionals.  They also discussed strategies for expanding advanced neuro-psychiatric care and reinforcing India’s overall mental healthcare ecosystem.  They proposed:  Adopting a hub-and-spoke model supported by digital health platforms  This would allow tertiary institutions and centers of excellence to provide technical guidance, specialist consultations, and clinical support to district hospitals and community-level health facilities.  "Such a model would strengthen referral pathways and ensure that specialized mental health services are accessible to people even in remote and rural areas," the experts said.  Integrating services under Tele-MANAS  Both existing and upcoming campuses of NIMHANS must be integrated , as this will enable a robust nationwide tele-mental health network that ensurestimely counselling, psychological support, specialist consultations Digital follow-up systems  The experts called for the seamless integration of healthcare facilities, aligned with the vision of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and the ABHA ID ecosystem. This, they said, will enable continuity of care, Improve monitoring of patients, Lead to better clinical outcomes A national Brain-Mind Cloud Network  The Network proposed under the National Health Mission would connect premier institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), state medical colleges, and primary healthcare centers through a digitally integrated platform.  It could also facilitate unified mental health records, AI-based screening tools, data-driven clinical decision support systems, tele-neuro-psychiatric hubs at regional centers.