NITI Aayog to Launch Blueprint for National Brain Health

• NITI Aayog to launch a National Brain Health Blueprint.
• Brain health clinics to support early diagnosis and care.
• Dementia cases projected to nearly double by 2036.

To address the rising burden of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and stroke, in India, NITI Aayog is gearing up to launch a National Brain Health Blueprint focusing on improving brain health and identifying cognitive disorder and dementia. 

According to a senior government official, the blueprint has been a joint effort for over a year, working with IBHAS, NIMHANS, AIIMS, and private psychologists.

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The blueprint's central concept is to set up a service model similar to brain health clinics, so that people with cognitive disorder could come in early and receive early intervention. The idea will be improving brain health and reducing dementia risk. Next, the experts will look at ways to fill in the treatment gaps and do interventions in primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare.

Dr Samir Parikh, psychiatrist and director of department of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Healthcare said, "Mental health needs a lot of focus, both on the preventive side as well as interventions. Anything we do either in terms of access, affordability, lifestyle changes or though interventions like digital and physical centres for early diagnosis would be of great significance in improving mental health across all age groups in the country."