Jammu and Kashmir has announced the establishment of a mental health authority which will oversee all mental health facilities and ensure that they are registered with the proper authorities.
According to a notification issued by the Health and Medical Education Department, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Authority will be the Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Jammu and Kashmir.
To govern the functioning of the Mental Health Authority, a set of rules has been formulated, known as ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Mental Healthcare (Mental Health Authority) Rules, 2023.’ These rules will come into effect upon their publication in the official gazette.
The Mental Health Authority will comprise a Chairperson, the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Government Medical College in Srinagar/Jammu, and the Mission Director of the National Health Mission in Jammu and Kashmir, who will serve as members for selection purposes. They will be responsible for nominating and selecting non-official members of the J&K Mental Health Authority. Non-official members selected or nominated under these rules will hold their positions for a three-year term and will be entitled to various allowances as applicable to non-official members of similar commissions and committees in the union territory.
