Following the report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), revealing that India is the suicide leader of the world, the Vandrevala Foundation, whose charitable activities include mental health care, has submitted a comprehensive plan to the Maharashtra government aimed at improving services in mental health institutions in the state. According to the Foundation, India has 43 mental health hospitals, all established before 1947 and many of them so abysmal that people with mental illness don’t seek help at such places. So, the Foundation’s proposal to the Maharashtra government is a first step to correct this state of affairs.

The WHO report estimated that out of 804,000 suicides worldwide in 2012, over 258,000 of them were in India – 99,997 women and 158,098 men – with the highest rate being seen among Indians aged 15 to 29. India’s suicide rate was 21.1 per 100,000 people, according to the report. The Foundation was not surprised by the WHO report. In a statement issued in London, Arun John, Executive Vice President of the Foundation, said: ‘Our counsellors are on the front lines of suicide prevention, so they know all too well what’s going on out there.’ It has also entered into an agreement with the Directorate General of Shipping in India to serve as the official mental health helpline for Indian sailors around the globe and their families.

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