Bengaluru: PHC doctors to be trained at new brain health clinic – ET HealthWorld

BENGALURU: With the aim of promoting mental health at the community level, the state government on Friday launched a brain health clinic at Jayanagar Government Hospital under its Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (KaBHI).

The clinic, touted to be the first-of-its kind in the country, was inaugurated by health and medical education minister K Sudhakar along with cricketer Robin Uthappa, who has been roped in as an ambassador for KaBHI.

The aim is to train PHC doctors in diagnosing and providing primary care for brain and mental health issues including stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, brain tumour and dementia, besides training ASHA workers to screen people for such mental health conditions.

The minister said the brain health clinic will serve as nodal centres for following up on patients with common neurological disorders. “We have trained 100 doctors at PHCs with Nimhans’ help. People need not come all the way to Nimhans unless there is a need for tertiary care. This will help in fast diagnosis which leads to better treatment and results in complete care,” Sudhakar said. He said people must move away from wrong opinions, taboos and stigma about mental health.

Sudhakar said Karnataka’s pioneering model has not only been hailed by the Centre but also implemented across the country through its ‘Tele-Manas’ initiative based on the e-Manas platform of Karnataka.

A total of 153 mental health establishments, 259 mental health professionals and 9,030 patients have registered on e-Manas.