In the whole of India it has been estimated that there are approximately 58 million people with some form of mental illness.

There are approximately 3.5 psychiatrists for every 1 million of the population. Whilst this number is no where near as bad as many other countries, all of these psychiatrists are based in cities. This becomes a problem when 75% of the population live in rural areas.

Only treatment given in the few government hospitals is free. Many people have to pay for their treatment and for their medication. For the third of the population who live below the poverty line, getting long-term treatment for a mental illness is a major problem as virtually all their money and time is spent simply trying to survive.

Human rights abuses can sometimes occur in psychiatric hospitals and faith healing centres. The standard of care in faith healing centres hit the headlines in 2000 when 23 mentally ill people died in a fire – they could not escape because they had been chained to their beds.

Some government policies on mental health do exist but these are really only on paper and have not yet been properly implemented. For example, primary mental health care is available in only 22 of the 600 districts.

Bihar and Jharkhand states are examples where government policy has failed to materialise. Both states are very poor. Bihar state is the bottom of the list for development in India. It has the lowest level of literacy, highest numbers of deaths in police custody, the worst roads, the highest crime and its per capita income is half the Indian average.

There are very few mental health services in these states. In Bihar there are no mental health hospitals, no outreach services to identify mental illnesses, no state psychiatrists, and no access to vital medication. In Jharkhand state the situation is little better, with only one psychiatric hospital which means that people are forced to travel on expensive journeys from miles around to reach it. When they get there they often can’t afford the medication.

Since 2000, Basic Needs India has rapidly expanded from its initial test programme and now works with partner organisations in 56 districts in rural Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

It also works with three partner organisations to help people in 40 slums in Bangalore. Our work here has surprised us because, despite the access to hospitals and other medical services, the lives of mentally ill people are still no better than those who live in rural areas.

To find out more about Basic Needs India and how its operations have developed since its independence visit www.prajadwani.org or contact

Dr. Mani Kalliath, Programme Manager
114 4th Cross, OMBR Layout, Banasawadi, Bangalore, 560 043
Tel: +91 80 25459235 Fax: +91 80 25450562