Kathmandu. The full text of the Supreme Court’s decision to treat mental health has been published on Friday as the number of mental health patients has increased significantly with the changing lifestyle and social structure and modernity.
Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Nripdhwaj Niraula of the Supreme Court in their verdict on November 27, 2018 amended the Mental Health Policy, 2053 BS and appointed mental health divisions, branches and units or contact persons at all three levels in line with the federal system.
The full text of the verdict reads, “The National Mental Health Policy, 2053 BS has also been amended and a mandate has been issued to establish a separate mental health division under the Ministry of Health and Population and the Department of Health Services at the federal level and a mental health branch under the Health Directorate at the state level and appoint and operate the district hospital and district public health office unit and contact persons at the local level as soon as possible. is.
It has also been mentioned that the 12-point directive order has been issued to address the problems seen in the absence of mental health treatment and to protect and promote mental health.
1. To issue a new mental health policy by revising the National Mental Health Policy, 2053, including an adequate strategy to implement the right to mental health,
2. Create an environment in which people suffering from mental health problems can be provided with medical treatment as per the need by providing equal level of infrastructure, budget, human resources in the field of mental health
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3. To increase the structure, budget and human resources qualitatively and numerically to solve the problems in the mental health sector in the budget allocation held every year.
4. To take necessary action for the formulation of specialized laws related to mental health with a mandatory provision to allocate a certain percentage of the budget for the overall health sector in the mental health sector,
5. To start in-patient and outpatient services of mental health by appointing multi-dimensional manpower, psychiatrists, psychiatrists, mental health related social workers, psychotherapists, etc. in all the hospitals under the Union and state,
6. Link mental health services to community services, health insurance, disability identity cards, employment and inter-related services under the union and state provided by the local government,
7. To remove stigma and discrimination in the field of mental health, to make such an act an offence and provide necessary punishment,
8. To rehabilitate people affected by mental health problems in their own families and communities by promoting and arranging social security and self-employment in accordance with the concept of community-based rehabilitation,
9. Make necessary arrangements in the field of mental health in a way to bring about a change in the overall lifestyle by adopting alternative therapies including Ayurveda, Yoga,
10. To gradually discourage unrefined ICT therapy to make mental health services violence and torture-free by studying human rights about the existing situation in the field of mental health,
11. Promote short-term involuntary treatment services in mental health through the adoption of international standards and make necessary monitoring to protect patients with mental health problems from unnecessary torture and damage that may or may occur,#inline_tags_PLACEHOLDER_0##
12. To integrate all laws related to mental health problems in accordance with the Human Rights Treaty, amend and amend all types of discriminatory laws against such patients and promote supportive decision-making and legal capacity and create a supportive system for their protection.
