Door-to-door care for mental health patients will be started in Mumbai

In an attempt to shorten hospital stays, the state health department in Mumbai will soon start providing door-to-door care services, for mental health patients. Patients will receive follow-up and treatment at home from a team of nurses, doctors, and primary and community healthcare providers. The goal is to stabilize hospitalized patients before keeping an eye on their at-home care and medication. In the event that more medical aid is required, the team will offer it. By maintaining a supply of medications on hand at the centers, the department hopes to cut down on the number of people who attend primary healthcare facilities.

The state health department will soon begin providing door-to-door services for patients in an effort to reduce the length of hospital stays due to an increase in mental health cases. To accomplish the goal, a team will be assembled. It will consist of main and community healthcare providers as well as auxiliary physicians and nurses who will make house calls for regular check-ups and treatment.

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Inclusion of facilities

For patients who need a lengthy hospital stay, our strategy is to stabilize them before keeping an eye on their care and medication at home.

• According to the assistant director of health services, “The team will make sure the treatment is proceeding as planned and, if necessary, provide additional medical assistance.”
• The primary healthcare center (PHC) will house the necessary supply of medications. Patients can visit the PHC every two weeks for a refill, or the visiting medical team can bring the medications home for brief periods.
• One must keep a close eye on the dosages given because some medications used to treat the disorders possess both therapeutic and deadly properties. The patient can only receive a small amount at once.
• The PHCs will keep the medications stocked. The physician continued by stating that the department is also developing a plan to decrease patient visits to PHCs.
• Another state health official stated that a team visiting a patient at home will keep an eye on the patient’s medication regimen and overall health for predetermined periods. A community worker will oversee the weekly visits, a health assistance worker will conduct fortnightly visits, and a medical officer will conduct monthly visits.

In an emergency, the medical officer can contact the district psychiatrist, who can arrange for admission to the closest regional mental health facility,” the official stated.

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Additional resources and implementation framework

The department has implemented a three-pronged strategy to address the surge in mental health cases: bolstering mental health services at district hospitals, preparing MBBS physicians at primary healthcare centers for psychiatric assessments, and offering free telemental health services via tele-MANAS. A committed team consisting of a psychiatrist, social worker, clinical psychologist, and psychiatric nurse is currently housed in each of the 36 district hospitals. This group provides outreach services to hospitals in rural and sub-district areas as well as various community health centers. At 1670 primary healthcare centers, MBBS physicians have received training in psychiatric evaluations, with an emphasis on common conditions like depression and anxiety.

Also Read: The Growing Demand for Mental Health Care Services

A high-ranking health official emphasized the effectiveness of telemental health services by stating that the department handled over 30,000 distinct calls in the last year, which is the second-highest number nationwide. The professionals praised the project and commented, “We need to observe how we implement it, as it will occur at both grassroots and mass scales.”

The former president of BPS said, “Psychiatric patients tend to do better at home, post-treatment. It is therapeutic when they are in the midst of caring for relatives. In addition to easing the burden on bed occupancy, managing them in the outpatient department will allocate beds to those in urgent need.