Dimapur District Legal Services Authority (DDLSA), Prodigals Home (PH) and Women Helpline 181 Nagaland (WH181N) conducted a workshop on “Mental Healthcare Act, 2017”, Friday, here at Conference Hall, Tourist Lodge, Dimapur.
Addressing the gathering on Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP), Director, PH, K Ela shared the story of a woman with mental illness who was allegedly raped several times and subsequently conceived a child who had to be sent for adoption.
Ela said that the objective of CMHP was to increase mental health service with various stakeholders and increase human resource in mental health services delivery in all communities.
She added that the goal of CMHP was to prevent homelessness due to mental illness and to change behaviour of the community to seek treatment for mental health problems.
Ela also lamented that more often than not, mentally stable persons doubled the harm to mentally ill persons.
She further encouraged the gathering to do away with the stigma attached to mental health issues and to accept and treat everyone equally.
Speaking on WH181N, a helpline number for women/girls which provides 24/7 toll free emergency services, she stated that the helpline facilitated crisis and non-crisis intervention through referral to the appropriate agencies and provided information about government schemes and programmes available for women while providing support services to women affected by violence.
While sharing about the challenges they face, Ela stated that there was limited support from state government and no shelter homes that exclusively catered to the needs of mentally ill patients.
Speaking on Mental Healthcare Act 2017, judicial magistrate, Boduve Peter Resu shared that it was enacted came only in 2018.
He added that Mental Healthcare Act 2017 was an act to provide mental healthcare and services to people with mental illnesses and to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of such persons.
Panel lawyer, DDLSA, Khumchuba also delivered a brief speech on the roles of police, NGOs and healthcare.
Earlier, the programme was chaired by Kedingunuo Sechu and invocation was pronounced by chaplain, DHD.
Keynote address was delivered by assistant programme coordinator, Ashi Kiba, representing office of state commissioner for persons with disabilities, Nagaland and benediction by youth evangelist, DABA, Arenla Pongen.