Page 40 - Insurance Times May 2024

Figure 1b. SDG 3.8 aims to provide universal access to equitable, affordable,
quality mental health care through 24×7 tele-mental health
counselling services across all Indian States and Union
Territories. A specific objective is to extend services to
vulnerable groups of the population and difficult to reach
populations. The programme will have 51 Tele MANAS cells
spread across all states and union territories, assisted by 23
Mentoring Institutes and 5 Regional Coordinating Centres,
with NIMHANS as the Apex Centre". Dedicated toll free
numbers 14416 and 18008914416 are available 24X7 to
provide personal Mental health support. It is a multilingual
platform which enables callers to opt for counselling in more
than 20 Indian languages. Through this line, the callers are

"Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk connected to a trained professional to discuss issues related
protection, access to quality essential health-care services to stress, anxiety and grief and even get emergency
and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential attention.
medicines and vaccines for all."
Hindu, a national daily in India reported that ever since its
launch on October 8, 2022, state wise records of one year
UNICEF data points the following- show active usage of Tele-MANAS. It has reportedly

"Coverage of essential health services (defined as the received over 3,40,000 calls from 51 cells spread across 32
average coverage of essential services based on tracer States and Union Territories which in real time addressed
interventions that include reproductive, maternal, new more than 2,000 calls per day. As conveyed by health
born and child health, infectious diseases, non- minister during its launch in 2022 "this helpline was a
communicable diseases and service capacity and response to a mental health crisis inflamed by the COVID-
access, among the general and the most 19 pandemic: isolation, financial crisis and illness adversely
disadvantaged population)". impacted levels of anxiety, depression and substance use
disorders globally. Tele-MANAS was envisioned as an
"Target 3.8 is defined as "Achieve universal health emergency mental health first-aid kit, embarking on a
coverage, including financial risk protection, access to journey of building a comprehensive digital mental health
quality essential health-care services and access to network across India and reach the unreached". (Refer
safe, effective, quality and affordable essential figure 2a and 2b below).
medicines and vaccines for all". The concern is with
all people and communities receiving the quality Figure 2a: Tele MANAS Organisational
health services they need (including medicines and Framework
other health products), without financial hardship.

"Indicator 3.8.1 is for health service coverage and
indicator 3.8.2 focuses on health expenditures in
relation to a household's budget to identify financial
hardship caused by direct health care payments. Taken
together, indicators 3.8.1 and 3.8.2 are meant to
capture the service coverage and financial protection
dimensions, respectively, of target 3.8. These two
indicators should be always monitored jointly."

Source: https://data.unicef.org/sdgs/goal-3-good-health-
wellbeing/

As per the official website of Tele MANAS "thus program Source: https://telemanas.mohfw.gov.in/

The Insurance Times May 2024 37