. 2022 Oct 18;3(1):sgac043. doi: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgac043

Table 1.

Government and National Institutes Initiative

1.	Several guidelines/advisories by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India⁵ (MOHWF) were issued: • Management of mental health issues for different segments of the society. • The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) released “Mental Health in the times of COVID-19 Pandemic-Guidance for general Medical and Specialized Mental Health Care Settings.” • Minding our minds during COVID-19. Document released by Ministry of Health and Family welfare, March 31, 2020. • Caring for Health Care Warriors-Mental Health Support During COVID-19. • Managing Mental Illness in Hospital Settings During COVID-19.
2.	Online capacity building of health workers in providing psychosocial support and training through (Igot)-Diksha platform.⁶
3.	The MOHFW-GOI issued a tollfree helpline number for “Behavioural Health,” a list of videos, advisories, and resource materials on coping with stress during COVID-19, yoga and meditation advice, was also put in place.^5,7
4.	Multilingual Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System App. (MANAS), a digital well-being platform was endorsed as a national program to promote wellbeing among persons in the 15–35 years age groups by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1711860)
5.	NIMHANS released Covid-19 guidelines for mental health care settings on behalf of the health ministry in April 2020. These included management and community care of at-home patients with severe mental disorders through existing community outreach programs, such as the District Mental Health Program (DMHP).⁸
6.	eSanjeevaniOPD, a patient-to-doctor telemedicine platform and provisions health services to the public in the confines of their homes was launched in April 2020.⁹ (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx PRID = 1732524)
7.	Tele-Manas, the National Tele Mental Health Program was announced in 2022. This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centers of excellence, with NIMHANS being the nodal centre.¹⁰
8.	Other institutions like the PGI, Chandigarh, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Psychiatric Society had all taken up independent responsibilities in the form of online and telemedicine services, etc.