Fortis launches facility for mental healthcare; plans 10 centres over 3 yrs

Gurugram, Dec 15 (PTI) Fortis Healthcare on Monday launched a 36-bed hospital for mental healthcare with plans to establish 10 such facilities over the next three years.

Adayu, an in-patient mental health facility, is designed to meet the growing demand for comprehensive psychiatric care in India.

The facility brings together a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counsellors and arts-based therapists, along with nutritionists, physiotherapists and yoga practitioners, ensuring holistic care.

India faces a significant mental health burden, with one in every seven Indians living with some form of mental disorder, Fortis said.

At the same time, the country continues to grapple with an acute shortage of mental health professionals and adequate infrastructure.

India has just four public mental health beds per 1 lakh population, highlighting the limited availability of specialist care and infrastructure, it added.

As a result, between 70 and 90 per cent of people living with mental health conditions in India do not receive the adequate treatment and long-term support they need.

"Adayu represents a transformative milestone in India's mental healthcare journey, addressing a long-standing gap in infrastructure, investment, and systemic integration within the nation's healthcare framework," Fortis Healthcare MD & CEO Ashutosh Raghuvanshi said.

More than a purpose-built in-patient facility, it signals the beginning of a broader evolution toward a stronger, more inclusive mental health ecosystem across the country, he added.

"The facility in Gurugram is the first in a series of dedicated mental health hospitals planned by Fortis," Raghuvanshi stated.

The healthcare provider aims to open a new facility in Mohali, Punjab with plans to have 10 such centres across the country over the next three years, he stated.

With Adayu, Fortis Healthcare reaffirms its commitment to closing India's mental health treatment gap and building a future where mental well-being is afforded the same priority, investment, and respect as any other medical specialty, said Fortis Healthcare Chairperson Mental health programme Samir Parikh. PTI MSS DR DR