Mental health is still taboo in our society. However, the government has been trying to acknowledge mental health and is spreading awareness about the matter among people. This is after the Indian government passed the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017.
As per the definition of this act, "it is to provide for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote, and fulfil the rights of such persons during the delivery of mental healthcare and services and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto."
This was a huge step for the government to ensure that mental health conditions are treated in the same way as physical health is.
Dr. Rishi Gautam, assistant professor of psychiatry at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, DC, USA, shed light on how, now that the government provides health insurance for mental health, it is affecting people of all communities. "Parity in its truest sense though still remains a distant dream. See, for example, the recent case filed in the Delhi High Court in April 2021, where the petitioner successfully won their claim for treatment of Schizoaffective Disorder. A quite disabling and commonly seen mental health condition. The claim was initially denied by the defendant in this case- National Insurance Company by using legal loopholes."
According to a study published in the Lancet by Sagar et al. (2010), it is estimated that approximately 200 million people in India suffer from a mental health condition. And this study argues that the illness burden described here is woefully low because of the stigma associated with reporting it.
Dr. Gautam talked about how the LGBTQIA community is also affected by this health insurance for mental health and whether or not they get equitable benefits out of the services provided. "It gets even worse for the LGBTQIA community, who are routinely discriminated against and have overall poorer health outcomes than their cis-gendered or heterosexual peers."
As per the WHO charter, healthcare is among the most important fundamental human rights laid down. "The queer community in India has been advocating to receive health care as another human and fundamental right. The journey thus far has had its share of ups and down and most of the decision-making has been left to the Judiciary," says Dr. Gautam.
As per Dr. Gautam, there are several initiatives that need to be taken by the public health sector to ensure that the LGBTIA community too gets equal rights and that there is a meaningful change. Some ideas include:
The laws in India still haven't provided proper rights to protect the LGBTQIA community, and while the right to life and the right to mental healthcare do not define any community, establishing healthcare rights, especially for the queer community, can make a significant difference.?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, talking about mental health has gotten even more important. The pandemic alone has left quite a mark on people's mental health, and people are realising that taking care of one's mind can only result in better overall health. "Awareness needs to be taught starting at the middle school level, like we teach children about the benefits of exercise, a healthy diet, etc."
"Tamil Nadu and some other Southern states have taken some refreshing steps in including a cultural-competency curriculum to medical education sensitizing the new generation of healthcare providers to be aware of the specific needs of different populations." A refreshing approach, if added to the curriculum of all states can give the new generation more insight into different genders and communities.?
Regardless of what we say, health remains the most important aspect of a person's life. However, sometimes negligence in hospitals or by medical health experts or untimely health issues can create a lot of problems. So, insurance policies and healthcare courts need to fastrack the process to give complete benefits to persons in need.?
Developing programs to officially hire people from the LGBTQIA community in the healthcare sector could not only give them great insight into the structure but also help others learn about the community's needs. Thereby creating an environment where people feel safe coming in to seek help.
Offering tax breaks, subsidised operating costs, infrastructure development, etc. can be a great way to provide medical care for the marginalised community, which is not getting proper treatments.?
Finally, Dr. Gautam says, "India has a very long and cherished history dating back thousands of years in celebrating diversity as it pertains to gender norms, sexuality, and so on." "There have been some recent positive steps towards bringing equity, but as a society, we need to continue to push ourselves to do more."??