- Promotion of mental health and preventive programmes
- Creating awareness about mental health and illness and reducing stigma associated with mental illness
- Appropriate Government to take measures as regard to human resource development and training, etc.
- Co-ordination within appropriate Government
Promotion of mental health and preventive programmes
29. (1) The appropriate Government shall have a duty to plan, design and implement programmes for the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness in the
country.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions contained in sub-section (1), the appropriate Government shall, in particular, plan, design and implement public health programmes to reduce suicides and attempted suicides in the country.
Creating awareness about mental health and illness and reducing stigma associated with mental illness
30. The appropriate Government shall take all measures to ensure that,—
(a) the provisions of this Act are given wide publicity through public media, including television, radio, print and online media at regular intervals;
(b) the programmes to reduce stigma associated with mental illness are planned, designed, funded and implemented in an effective manner;
(c) the appropriate Government officials including police officers and other officers of the appropriate Government are given periodic sensitisation and awareness training on the issues under this Act.
Appropriate Government to take measures as regard to human resource development and training, etc.
31. (1) The appropriate Government shall take measures to address the human resource requirements of mental health services in the country by planning, developing and
implementing educational and training programmes in collaboration with institutions of higher education and training, to increase the human resources available to deliver mental health
interventions and to improve the skills of the available human resources to better address the needs of persons with mental illness.
(2) The appropriate Government shall, at the minimum, train all medical officers in public healthcare establishments and all medical officers in the prisons or jails to provide basic and emergency mental healthcare.
(3) The appropriate Government shall make efforts to meet internationally accepted guidelines for number of mental health professionals on the basis of population, within ten years from the commencement of this Act.
Co-ordination within appropriate Government
32. The appropriate Government shall take all measures to ensure effective co-ordination between services provided by concerned Ministries and Departments such as those dealing
with health, law, home affairs, human resources, social justice, employment, education, women and child development, medical education to address issues of mental health care.