The Puducherry government has constituted the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), in accordance with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, to protect the rights of patients with mental illness in the Union Territory.
Official sources said Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan had approved the constitution of the Authority and the notification was issued.
The Authority will frame regulations for mental healthcare establishments in the Union Territory and register them after they fulfil the requirements. The Health Secretary is the ex-officio chairperson and there are six ex-officio members and nine nominated members.
“The SMHA will register all mental health establishments and develop quality and service provision norms for different types of mental health establishments. It will also supervise all mental health establishments in the Union Territory and receive complaints of deficiency in service,” an official said.
The Authority will sensitise law enforcement officials and mental health professionals and other health professionals to the provisions of the Act. It will maintain a register of practising mental health professionals — such as clinical psychologists, mental health nurses and psychiatric social workers — in pursuance of the provisions of the Act.