Mumbai : Rattled by the increasing number of suicides by farmers, the health and family welfare department of the state government has decided to launch a major initiative that would include physiological and psychiatric counselling of farmers, and the government would take the project to the last village.
As a pilot project, five talukas of Yavatmal and Osmanabad districts have been selected. “It is going to be a comprehensive project,” health and family welfare minister Dr Deepak Sawant told a news conference at Mantralaya, the state secretariat here.
According to him, aanganwadi workers and members of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) of the National Health Minister would be involved in the project.
“The five talukas have been selected after a comprehensive study of the suicides, the pattern and the numbers,” he said, and added that the aanganwadi and ASHA workers would be visiting the villages and identifying people with problems related to mental health.
“We would have to admit that mental health is an issue and also that mental conditions can be treated,” Dr Sawant said, and pointed out that they would also find out about farmers’ financial details and whether any farmer is under debt.
He also held discussions with Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria on the recent suicide and murder by a policeman, and discussed ways to enhance health facilities for cops. “The vacant posts of doctors would be filled,” he said.
Mumbai has five police hospitals and 12 dispensaries. The facilities need cardiology units, test facilities for diabetes, cardiac trouble and hypertension etc, along with latest equipments. “The health department shall make all efforts to make all these things available at these hospitals,” Sawant said.
Sawant also said that the government plans to have more burn care centres for Mumbai. He also appealed to people to contribute to this effort in the form of skin donation.