Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Monday approved the Delhi government’s proposal to set up a State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), a body for the welfare of patients with mental illnesses.
However, the LG flagged a “delay of around five years” on the part of the government in constituting the panel for it, officials at LG office said.
“…It has been brought on file that sections 45-46 of the Mental Health Care Act 2017 mandates establishment of a State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) by every state government within nine months from the date the Act receives the President’s assent…The Delhi government, under pressure from the Centre, finally moved a proposal to constitute Delhi SMHA after a delay of 5 years, only with ex-officio members,” the LG’s office said in a note.
To be sure, the Central Mental Health Care Act, 2017, mandates setting up of SMHAs for the welfare of patients with mental illnesses. The Act also mandates the authority to have independent domain experts, patient representatives, care givers, and representatives from NGOs, apart from ex-officio government members.
While the Delhi government did not directly respond to the LG’s allegations, health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the government had sent a similar file, related to the Delhi Pharmacy Council to the LG that was returned a week later.
The Act stipulates that SMHA will comprise an independent and eminent psychiatrist, a mental health professional, a psychiatric social worker, a clinical psychologist, a mental health nurse — all with 15 years of experience — as well as two representatives each of patients, care givers and NGOs, according to the LG office note.
“Such wide representation in SMHA was obviously aimed at covering all aspects of mental health care so that it functions as a dynamic body and not just another bureaucratic regulator,” the LG was quoted as saying in the note.
