Kathmandu, Nov 27: Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal, has started providing mental health services to the patients from 14 districts.
To make mental healthcare services easy and accessible, the Ministry deployed two psychiatrists in two districts of each seven provinces that did not have such services in the past.
The initiative was supported by the World Health Organization.Chief of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Section under the Ministry, Dr Phadindra Baral, shared that a team of psychiatrists were mobilized in Panchthar and Bhojpur districts in Koshi Province, Mahottari and Rautahat in Madhesh Province, Sindhupalchowk and Rasuwa in Bagmati Province.
Similarly, the team were also deployed in Lamjung and Myagdi in Gandaki Province, Bardiya and Rukum Purba in Lumbini Province, Dailekh and Kalikot in Karnali Province and Baitadi and Bajhang in Sudurpaschim Province, informed Dr Baral.
According to him, this service would be extended to other districts gradually.At present, psychiatrists are treating the patients having 30 types of severe mental illness and providing them medication and other therapies for free of cost, he added.
