A State-level training program for Community Health Officers (CHOs) on the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) was conducted on July 29-30 and August 1-2, at Pragna Bhavan. This initiative was a joint collaboration between the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, and the National Health Mission, Tripura, aiming for capacity building in Mental Healthcare at the Primary healthcare level.
A total of 400 CHOs received hands-on training from nine expert resource persons from NIMHANS, Bengaluru. This training focused on enhancing the skills and knowledge of CHOs in mental health care to improve services at the grassroots level.
On Friday, a valedictory function was inaugurated by Dr. Kiran Dingkarrao Gitte, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Dr. Brahmneet Kaur, Additional Secretary, Health & Family Welfare t; Prof. (Dr.) Sanjib Debbarma, Director of Health Services; Dr. Anjan Das, Director of Family Welfare & Preventive Medicine; Rajib Datta, Mission Director, National Health Mission; Binoy Bhusan Das, Joint Mission Director, National Health Mission; and Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, who joined via online mode.
This program is first of its kind and marks a significant step towards strengthening mental health services at the primary healthcare level in Tripura, reflecting a commitment to improving mental health care accessibility and quality for all.