The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) has tied-up with Public Health England (PHE) to set up collaborative programmes in mental health and public health system models, including Public Health Observatories (PHOs). PHE has integrated all PHOs in England into an integrated knowledge and intelligence network.
NIMHANS hosted the 2nd India-U.K. Round Table on establishing India’s first Public Health Observatory on August 2 and 3. The conference was attended by 50 experts from PHE, NIMHANS and key institutions across India.
According to NIMHANS Director B.N. Gangadhar, mental health is a major issue common to both U.K. and India. “The WHO estimates that 56 million Indians suffer from depression and 38 million from anxiety disorders; it is shameful that we are losing a student an hour to suicide owing to mental distress,” he said. A Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged by Dr. Gangadhar with PHE’s Director of Health Intelligence Professor Peter Bradley.