Right to Access Mental Healthcare

Every person has the right to access mental health care from government-funded mental healthcare services. These services include¹:

• Acute mental healthcare services like outpatient and inpatient services
• Half-way homes, sheltered accommodation, supported accommodation
• Mental health services to support the family of a person with mental illness or home-based rehabilitation
• Hospital, community-based rehabilitation establishments and services
• Child mental health services and old age mental health services.

Cost of Mental Health Services 

The government must make the medicines, as mentioned on the Essential Drug List, free of charge for all persons with mental illness at mental health establishments run/funded by the government². Persons with mental illness who are destitute, homeless, or living below poverty line, are entitled to free mental healthcare services. They can approach mental health establishments run/funded by the government³

1. Section 18(4),  the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. [↩]
2. Section 18(10),  the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. [↩]
3. Section 18(7),  the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. [↩]