Health and Family Welfare

NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMME (NMHP)

Prevalence of mental disorders as per World Health Report (2001) is around 10% and it is predicted that burden of disorders is likely to increase by 15% by 2020.
Prevalence of mental disorders in India is 6-7% for common mental disorders and 1- 2% for severe mental disorders.
National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) was started in 1982 with the objectives to ensure availability and accessibility of minimum mental health care for all.

NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF DEAFNESS

Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in human today.
As per NSSO survey (2002), currently there are 291 persons per one lakh population who are suffering from severe to profound hearing loss.
The burden of disease in the school going age group in India is about 4 million.
About 50% hearing loss cases are caused by infections of the ear (Acute Suppurative Otitis Media, Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media), Secretory Otitis Media, Trauma, Rubella, Noise Induced Hearing loss and Ototoxicity, further 30% cases of deafness, though not preventable, are treatable.
Thus a total of 80% of all deafness cases are avoidable by medical or surgical methods and the rest can be rehabilitated with the use of hearing aid, speech and hearing therapy.

NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF FLUOROSIS

Fluorosis, a public health problem is caused by excess intake of ﬂuoride through drinking water/food products/industrial pollutants over a long period.
It results in major health disorders like dental ﬂuorosis, skeletal ﬂuorosis.
The Government of India started the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis as a new health initiative in the 11th Five Year Plan (2008-09) with the aim to prevent and control fluorosis in the country.

NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR HEALTH CARE OF THE ELDERLY (NPHCE)

Government of India had launched the “National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly” (NPHCE) to address health related problems of elderly people, in 100 identified districts of 21 States during the 11th Plan period.
Eight Regional Geriatrics Centres as referral units have also been developed in different regions of the country under the programme.
The basic aim of the NPHCE Programme is to provide separate, specialized and comprehensive health care to the senior citizens.
In addition, 2 National Institute of Ageing (NIA) are also being established at AIIMS, New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESEARCH (DHR)

The Department of Health Research (DHR) was set up in 2007 primarily to promote Medical Research in India through augmentation of human resources for basic, applied and clinical research, development of infrastructure and other steps required to achieve the endeavour.
Besides Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there were nine new businesses allocated to DHR.
Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRU): This programme is being launched based on successful experience of ICMR at Ghatampur (UP). This scheme has been approved and launched to establish 15 MRHRUS in various states to transfer new technology for early diagnosis and management of various diseases to state health services on a continued basis.
Network of viral & other infectious diseases diagnostic research laboratories: Under this scheme this network of Viral and Infectious Diseases Labs (VRDLs) will be expanded to 160 laboratories across the length and breadth of the country. In addition a resource centre has been set up at National Institute of Virology, Pune for Quality Control and an Online Data Mining Center for VRDL has been initiated at National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai.