Mental health is still taboo in our society. However, the government is trying to recognize mental health and is spreading awareness about the issue among the people, after the Indian government passed her Mental Health Care Act of 2017.
According to the definition of the Act, “providing mental health care and services to persons with mental illness and protecting, promoting and promoting the rights of such persons during the provision of mental health care and services and in matters related thereto. and fulfillment; attendant to it.”
This was a big step for the government to ensure that mental health conditions are treated the same as physical health conditions.
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Dr. Rishi Gautam, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, DC, USA, discusses how the government now provides health insurance for mental health and how it affects people in all communities. I have clarified what I am giving. “Parity in its truest sense remains a distant dream. See, for example, a recent lawsuit filed with the Delhi High Court in April 2021, in which the petitioner was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. The claim was initially denied by the defendant, the National Insurance Company, in this case using a legal loophole.
According to a study published in The Lancet by Sagar et al. (2010) estimated that about 200 million people in India suffer from mental health conditions. And this study argues that the burden of the disease described here is disastrously low because of the stigma associated with reporting it.
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Dr. Gautam spoke about how the LGBTQIA community is also affected by this mental health health insurance and whether they are getting their fair share of the services provided. “Things are even worse for the LGBTQIA community, who are routinely discriminated against and whose overall health is worse than that of cisgender and heterosexual people.”
According to the WHO Charter, health care is one of the most important basic human rights enshrined. “The queer community in India has already advocated for him to have access to health care as a basic human right. He has had ups and downs along the way, leaving much of the decision-making to the judiciary. Gautham.
Photo credit: BCCL/representative photo
According to Dr Gautam, there are several initiatives the public health sector needs to take to ensure that the LGBTIA community is also given equal rights and that meaningful change is brought about. Some ideas include:
Indian law does not yet provide adequate rights to protect the LGBTQIA community, and the right to life and mental health care rights have not been defined for any community, but health care rights, especially for the queer community. Establishing the rights to the can make a big difference. .
Mental health education and awareness
Talking about mental health has become even more important since the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic alone has had a considerable impact on people’s mental health, and people are realizing that taking care of their minds can improve their overall health. We need to teach awareness from the middle school level in the same way we teach children about healthy eating.”
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Central government can use some novel ideas implemented by state governments to understand community needs
“In Tamil Nadu and other southern states, some We are taking refreshing steps.” With new approaches added to the curriculum in every state, new generations will gain more insight into different genders and communities.
We need speedy medical courts, an insurance ombudsman, and a robust complaints system.
Whatever we say, health is still the most important aspect of a person’s life. However, negligence by hospitals and medical professionals, as well as premature health problems, can cause many problems. As such, insurance policy and medical courts must expedite the process to provide full benefits to those in need.
Developing programs that formally employ people from the LGBTQIA community in the health sector not only gives them better insight into the structure, but also helps others learn about the needs of the community. This creates an environment where people feel safe to ask for help.
Create financial incentives for institutions through payers to provide care to marginalized communities.
Offering tax cuts, subsidies for operating costs, infrastructure development, and more are great ways to bring health care to marginalized communities who do not have access to proper care.
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Finally, Dr. Gautam said: “There have been some positive steps recently to bring about equity, but as a society we need to keep pushing ourselves to do more.
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