Tele MANAS

Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative has been launched by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare during October 2022. It aims to provide free tele-mental health services all over the country round the clock, particularly catering to people in remote or under-served areas. 

A toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416) is now available as part of the initiative.

National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP)

Acknowledging the mental health crisis in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and an urgent need to establish a digital mental health network that will withstand the challenges amplified by the pandemic, Government of India announced National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) in the Union Budget 2022-23. 

Tele-MANAS implementation

Tele-MANAS aims to provide free tele-mental health services all over the country round the clock, particularly catering to people in remote or under-served areas.

The programme includes a network of 38 tele-mental health centres of excellence spread across 27 States and UTs, providing mental health services in over 20 languages and over 1600 trained counsellors running the first-line services. NIMHANS Bengaluru is the nodal centre. 

A toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416) has been set up across the country allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services. Service is also accessible with 1-800-891-4416. The calls would be routed to Tele-MANAS cells in the respective state and union territory.

Tele-MANAS will be organised in two tier system; Tier 1 comprises of state Tele-MANAS cells which include trained counsellors and mental health specialists. Tier 2 will comprise of specialists at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)/Medical College resources for physical consultation and/or e-Sanjeevani for audio visual consultation. Presently there are 5 regional coordination centres along with 51 State/UT Tele MANAS cells. 

The initial rollout providing basic support and counselling through centralized Interactive Voice Response system (IVRS) is being customized for use across all States and UTs. This will not only help in providing immediate mental healthcare services, but also facilitate continuum of care. Specialised care is being envisioned through the programme by linking Tele-MANAS with other services like National tele-consultation service, e-Sanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, mental health professionals, Ayushman Bharat health and wellness centres and emergency psychiatric facilities. Eventually, this will include the entire spectrum of mental wellness and illness, and integrate all systems that provide mental health care.

Mentoring institutes

The mentoring institutes are as follows: AIIMS, Patna, AIIMS Raipur, CIP Ranchi, AIIMS Bhopal, AIIMS Kalyani, AIIMS Bhubaneshwar, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Hospital for Mental Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Inst. of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour Bambolim Goa, AIIMS, Nagpur, AIIMS, Jodhpur, KGMU Lucknow, AIIMS Rishikesh, IHBAS, Delhi, IGMS, Shimla, Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Govt. Medical College, Srinagar, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, IMHANS, Kozhikode, Kerala, IMH, Chennai, IMH, Hyderabad, JIPMER and AIIMS, Mangalagiri.

Services offered by Tele MANAS

• Tele Counselling by trained counsellors.
• Tele Consultation by Mental Health professionals when required.
• Referral Services to other Mental Health Establishments such as Medical Colleges, DMHP services and speciality institutes.

 Who can reach out to Tele MANAS?

• Any individual with mental health issues can reach out to Tele MANAS services for help.
• Family members of persons with mental health issues can reach out for help.
• Grass-root health care providers/community health providers i.e., Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and community volunteers from the community can reach out to Tele MANAS on behalf of an individual or individuals in that community with mental health issues.

Tele Manas calling mechanism

• The public can access the Tele MANAS helpline by dialing tollfree number or short code. This call will be an IVRS based audio calling only, with a timely auto-call back approach. Through the automated callback service, the caller will first be attended to by a trained counsellor.
• Based on the level of care required, the counsellor will either provide the care needed within their capabilities or refer the caller for specialist care.
• If the caller requires specialized care, the call will be handled by a mental health specialist (clinical psychologist, psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse, or a psychiatrist). This level of service will contain both audio as well as video-based options.
• In case the caller requires urgent in-person intervention/complex evaluations and management, they will be referred to the nearest in-person service for physical consultation and/or an audio-visual consultation with a specialist will be arranged through eSanjeevani. These centers will range from Health and Wellness Centre (HWCs) to tertiary care centers as part of the DMHP

Source : Tele Manas platform