India has only 0.75 psychiatrists per million population, as against the World Health Organisation’s recommended three per million
Bombay Parsi Punchayet members (from top left to bottom right) Ervad Xerxes, Vispi Dastur, Adil Malia, Hoshang Jal, Viraf Mehta, Anahita Desai, Armaity Tirandaz, and Maharukh Kobad Noble. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A minority community that has consistently contributed to the India growth story, is now leading the way in making our society more humane, more accommodating. A report in this paper stated that the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) recently launched the creation of a dedicated corpus for long-term financial and therapeutic support for fellow community members suffering from any kind of mental health problems.
This is a noble blueprint for others to follow. Mental health has been gaining attention in recent times owing to its sometimes disastrous outcomes, more so among the young. However, avenues to access affordable healthcare are woefully lacking. India has only 0.75 psychiatrists per million population, as against the World Health Organisation’s recommended three per million.
Besides, in 2025-26, India allocated only 1.97% of its annual budget on health, far lower than the 2.5% target set by the National Health Policy of 2017. As percentage of GDP, India allocates around 3%. More worrying is that it spends only 1.3% of that allocation on mental health. Advanced economies such as the OECD countries spend up to 11% of their GDP on healthcare, with a significant allocation for mental health.
The National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 (a more recent one is yet to be commissioned) conducted by NIMHANS found that 10.6% of adults in India suffer from mental disorders. It also showed that up to 92% of people with mental disorders do not receive proper treatment due to lack of awareness, stigma, and shortage of professionals.
Therefore, the BPP’s mental health initiative is more than welcome. The Economic Survey 2023-24 tabled by the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman last July talked about mental health, its significance and implications on policy recommendations. We now need to see this translated into ground-level reality, with funds, not just facts and figures.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
