New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS): On the occasion of World Mental Health day, two major private hospital chains have jointly launched a super-speciality mental health hospital - Sukoon - in Gurugram on Saturday.
The newly-launched 21-bedded hospital is spread in an area of 20,000 sq ft at sector 56, Gurugram and would offer inpatient and outpatient care services in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, de-addiction, and rehabilitation.
The hospital is a joint entity of Fortis Healthcare and Sukoon Health. The officials informed IANS that while the infrastructure of the hospital is provided by Sukoon Health, the clinical support is extended by Fortis Healthcare.
The company officials informed that the facility is designed to provide 24x7 services in a safe and secured environment. It is equipped with modern amenities such as Psychiatric ICUs, art therapy studio, yoga and fitness centre, terrace garden, and recreational lounges. The virtual therapy room is conceptualised to maintain continuity of treatment once a patient is discharged for a sustained recovery, they added.
Speaking on the launch of the hospital, Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare said that it was need of the hour to come up with an exclusive super-speciality facility for the patients with mental health issues.
"It is important to establish dedicated inpatient facilities that can cater to the entire spectrum of mental health illnesses. Addressing mental health issues is essential and with India seeing a significant rise in mental health disorders, it has become important to focus on mental health disorders," he stated.
"We are happy with the launch of this state-of-the-art facility developed to address mental health issues in India. Fortis Healthcare has undertaken various initiatives in the past and this hospital is another step towards addressing the treatment gaps," Dr Raghuvanshi added.
However, the number of beds in the facility is quite meager in comparison to its campus area. Speaking on this, Kanishk Gupta, director and CEO at Sukoon Health informed that they would add 500 more beds to the hospital in next three years.
"We have taken a goal of adding 500 new beds by 2023 and as we march forward, we believe that we can bridge the huge treatment gap and offer acute intervention in the inpatient and outpatient care, wherever needed. With this project, we aim to offer premium hospitality with a host of differentiated services that will change the route of the mental health industry in India forever," he said.
Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at Fortis Healthcare shared that 1 out of every 7 individuals in India are suffering mental health concerns and with the Covid-19 pandemic strengthening its presence across the globe, there has been a significant rise in patients suffering from anxiety and depression disorders.
"The biggest concern related to mental health disorders is that at times people are themselves not aware about their mental health condition and still there is a stigma attached to it. With the launch of Sukoon Health, we are looking forward to providing 360-degree support to the patients with state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure," he added.
The incidents of mental illnesses are rising rapidly globally in India. It is taking the shape of another pandemic which needs to be addressed urgently. The medical experts have observed a significant rise in the number of suicides in the younger age group in the last one decade. While the most common mental health disorders are depression and anxiety, other disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, idiopathic developmental intellectual disability, conduct disorders, and autism have registered a drastic leap as well.
A report published in medical journal The Lancet in February stated that around 20 crore Indians are suffering from mental disorders which includes 4.6 crore cases of depressive disorders and 4.5 crore cases of anxiety disorder.