Helpline For Healthcare Workers Facing Mental Health Issues Launched

The pandemic has perhaps been the most taxing for healthcare workers who are working on the frontline continuously since it started. The lives of doctors and nurses are usually stressful enough. However, the pandemic has just added to their woes. They have to put in 18-hour shifts, in addition to the mental stress that all of this is causing.

To help them through this dark period, a number of associations of doctors and psychiatrists have come together to launch a dedicated helpline for healthcare workers. This helpline will help to address stress, depression and other psychological issues faced by healthcare workers. Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), which is one of the primary partners behind the initiative, said the move was particularly important as the second wave of the COVID in the country has affected doctors, nurses and others in the sector in a major way.

Mental Health Of Healthcare Workers

Ensuring better mental wellbeing of healthcare workers is of prime importance, and GAPIO and Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), along with other collaborating partners have launched a helpline for healthcare workers facing mental health issues to help them address it, said the association.

The other partners of the initiative include the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), the Canada India Network Society (CINS) and the British Indian Psychiatric Association (BIPA).

Explaining how the helpline will work, Dr Anupam Sibal, President GAPIO, said that peer support sessions will be available to provide support to those seeking help. Recently, a study by the Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, found that doctors, especially juniors, reported higher stress levels.

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