IIIT-Bangalore and NIMHANS Collaborate to Deliver the Tele MANAS App

BENGALURU:
World Mental Health Day was observed on October 10, 2024, with this year’s theme as “It’s Time to Prioritize Mental Health at the Workplace.” On this day, the Union Health Ministry celebrated the success of the National Tele Mental Health Programme, Tele MANAS, which has completed two years of service and has handled more than 14.5 lakh calls. The Tele MANAS toll-free helpline, available at 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, offers multilingual support in 20 languages and has been instrumental in connecting individuals with mental health professionals.

At the commemoration event in New Delhi, Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary of MoHFW & Managing Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) launched the Tele MANAS mobile app and the video call facility in Tele MANAS.

The International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-Bangalore) is proud of its role in the development of the Tele MANAS mobile app, designed to offer free and confidential 24/7 mental health support across India. Developed entirely in-house with content and guidance provided by the Tele MANAS Apex Centre at NIMHANS, the app is available on the Google Play Store, with an iOS version coming soon. The Tele MANAS app provides a comprehensive set of services aimed at promoting mental well-being and reducing stigma around mental health. Key features of the app include 24/7 mental health support, an extensive knowledge base, and user-friendly interface.

Video consultations in Tele MANAS represent a significant upgrade to the existing audio calling service. When necessary, mental health professionals can initiate video consultations, providing a more personalized experience and better care to the users. Initially, this service will be launched in Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu, with plans to expand it nationwide in the future.

The Report of Tele MANAS Rapid Assessment by the World Health Organizations (WHO) was also released at the event.

“We are immensely proud of our colleagues’ contributions to the Tele MANAS mobile app. The Tele MANAS Apex Centre at NIMHANS and our team at the E-Health Research Center (EHRC) at IIIT-Bangalore have done exceptional work in developing the Tele MANAS mobile app. With content and guidance provided by NIMHANS, this innovative platform is a testament to our institute’s commitment to leveraging technology for the betterment of society and the promotion of mental well-being”, said Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT-Bangalore.

“We are pleased to be involved in the development of the Tele MANAS platform since the start of the program. The usage of the platform has steadily increased, with about 1 lakh calls being handled each month. We are now excited to have helped develop the Tele MANAS mobile app, as well as the video calling extension to the platform. It is gratifying to see that such digital solutions can help reach mental health services to people across the country”, said Prof. T K Srikanth, Professor of Practice and Head of the E- Health Research Centre (EHRC), IIIT-Bangalore.