SRINAGAR, SEP 14: The government has established guidelines for the operation of mental health facilities in the UT in order to address the problem of mental health concerns in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per rules notified by the J&K Government every mental health establishment in the Union Territory, except the mental health establishment under the Control of the Central Government, shall be registered with the Mental Health Authority of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by it, which shall be furnished in health establishments.
Every mental health establishment referred to in sub-rule (1) shall submit an application for provisional registration to the Mental Health Authority of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, containing details as specified therein, along with a fee of rupees twenty thousand (Rs 20,000) by way of a demand draft drawn in favour of the Chairperson, Mental Health Authority of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir payable at the place where the Mental Health Authority of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is situated.
The rules have been made for the proper implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 in Jammu and Kashmir. Now the mental health establishments in UT will be audited and inspected to ensure transparency, while the Mental Health Authority shall maintain accounts of its income, expenditure, and online register as well.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 121 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (10 of 2017) has made the rules.
As per the rules Mission Director, National Health Mission, J&K shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, while senior MBBS doctor with Master in Health Administration/Master in Hospital Administration will be nominated as a Medical Advisor to CEO. The Mental Health Authority with the approval of Government shall determine the number, nature and categories of the officers and employees required by the Mental Health Authority of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the discharge of its functions. The rules also include a selection of non-official members of the J&K Mental Health Authority. The Mental Health Authority shall, for the purpose of conducting an audit of registered mental health establishments in the Union Territory, authorize one or more of the following persons to ensure that such mental health establishments, comply with the minimum standards specified under the Act, namely: A representative of the Deputy Commissioner of the district where the mental health establishment is situated; a representative of the Human Rights Commission of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir where the mental health establishment is situated; a psychiatrist who is in Government service; a psychiatrist who is in private practice; a mental health professional who is not a psychiatrist; a representative of a non-governmental organization working in the area of mental health; Representatives of the caregivers of persons with mental illness or organisations representing caregivers; and Representatives of the persons who have or have had mental illness.
