The Covid-19 pandemic has not only taken toll on the physical health and the economy but also negatively impacted mental health, prompting various organisations and corporate to extend helping hands for the wellbeing of their staff with some of them holding counseling sessions through helplines and online platforms.

For instance, to increase awareness around mental health and help society cope with the stress of the global pandemic, Hinduja Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hinduja Group, co-sponsored a three-hour mental health awareness segment, Spotlight India recently i.e. on May 25 to be precise.

Gopichand P Hinduja, Co-Chairman, the Hinduja Group, and the Trustee, Hinduja Foundation said, "Mental Health Issues are a silent and an unrecognized pandemic in itself. With their gravity often brushed aside because of false beliefs that lead to avoidance of the condition, they compound to necessitate medical interventions. The event was aimed to reach out to the people suffering with mental health disorders."

Sundeep K Nayak, Managing Director of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) agreed and said, "The present situation is affecting the mental well-being on account of the uncertainty of the present and the future, the impact on the physical health of the self and loved ones, impact on work and productivity."

Having worked with the Union Health Ministry, Nayak knows better. On its part, the NCDC on June 4 is organising 'Covid and mental health' talk by Prof Nand Kumar, Professor of the Psychiatry Department, AIIMS to boost the morale of its staff keeping in mind the current circumstances.

Similarly, StepOne, a non-profit volunteer driven collective of 7,000 doctors, has already launched a National Covid Telemedicine Helpline, offering 24x7 access to healthcare experts, free of cost.

The helpline, +91-9745697456, is now live and available in seven languages including English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu and Punjabi and provides Telemedicine services for Covid related cases, mental health and video consultations for non-Covid related cases.

Veteran officers of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) too are offering teleconsultation to citizens amid the pandemic crisis asking them to register themselves on the e-Sehat Portal wherein they can offer their guidance, counselling and advice to help provide succour to those in need.

Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, chief health strategy officer on digital health app 'Practo', a digital healthcare network noted that the number of requests for tele consultation has increased by several times in the Covid-era. Experts say that with the rise in the number of COVID-related fatalities, in the second wave, people of all age groups are experiencing more mental health problems such as depression and health-related anxiety.

"It is important to build trust in them again and make them feel important before they break down. From time to time we hold sessions with the vulnerable groups about the importance of mental health and well-being and practicing yoga and or meditation," said Dr Smita Deshpande, Professor and Senior Consultant at Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Dr RML Hospital Delhi.

Courtesy: The Daily Pioneer.