India, Oct. 4 -- The state public health department has directed all districts to strengthen and effectively implement the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP). The focus is on expanding access to treatment, counselling, screening and follow-up services at government healthcare facilities, from district hospitals to primary health centres, officials said on Saturday.

The directions followed a Hindustan Times report published on September 6, 2026 titled 'Maharashtra district hospitals lack psychiatric beds, patients forced to travel hundreds of kilometres'. The article highlighted the lack of functional 10-bed inpatient psychiatric units at the 32 state-run district hospitals. Patients with severe mental health conditions were forced t...