SUMMIT REPORT, Gangtok 17 Mar:
A “Multi-Stakeholder Consultation for Finalizing the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Strategy for Sikkim” by Sikkim INSPIRES Program, Health & Family Welfare Department in collaboration with Center for Mental Health Law and Policy (CMHLP) was held today at Tashiling Secretariat here, a press release informs.
A draft strategy, arrived at following a series of activities over the past seven months, was presented today.
The proposed strategy has evolved from “Formative Scoping Interviews” at service delivery centres in Gangtok District, De-addiction Center, Child Care Institute, One Stop Center, District Mental Health Program, District Hospital Singtam, Center for Addiction Medicine, community etc. This was done to understand the Mental health landscape in Sikkim and the existing services and programs, stakeholders and any challenges with implementation, the release explains.
Multi-Stakeholder Consultations on Youth Mental Health & Suicide Prevention held from 09 to 11 September 2024 have also informed the draft strategy, as has the Theory of Change (ToC) Workshop held on 12September last year which was a cconsultative workshop with policymakers, service providers, and civil society stakeholders.
The release adds that an online qualitative survey for civil society members was also conducted.
Today’s consultation focused on going through the draft mental health and suicide reduction strategy by participants, led by team members of the CMHLP: Jasmine Kalha (Program Director), Swetha Ranganathan (Program Manager) and Chetana Iyer (Program Manager).
The document, it is informed, will be further refined based on tofday’s consultation, and the final document will be released during the 50 Years of Statehood Celebrations on 16May.
