Neerja Birla launches Mpower a holistic mental healthcare Center at Aditya Birla Hospital in Pune
Pune, 15th February 2022: Mpower – a revolutionary social enterprise backed by the Aditya Birla Education Trust, launched its latest Mpower-Center in Pune at the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital today. Located on 3rd floor, in the A Wing at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, the Mpower Center was inaugurated by Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower in the virtual presence of chief guest Dattatray Bharane, State Minister of PWD, Soil & Water Conservation, Forest, General Administration, Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fishery; Guardian Minister – Solapur, and Rekha Dubey, CEO, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital.
Over the last two years, Maharashtra, including Pune, has seen growing cases of mental health concerns. Mpower through its BMC: Mpower 1:1 helpline has seen over 50,000 calls related to health anxiety, grief, addictions, and stress from across Maharashtra, highlighting the inclination of the people towards overcoming their mental health issues by seeking professional help. Specifically in Pune which is also known as the IT & the start-up hub, there are many with an imbalance in work life, multi-tasking and burdened with the global financial situation, increasing the need for a holistic mental health service centre. The Mpower Center at the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune will address this need and offer quality mental healthcare services to the residents of Pune and the surrounding vicinity.
The extended pandemic has brought the importance of mental wellbeing to the fore, drawing the attention of the current Government towards the need for mental health services along with holistic healthcare management. The Mpower Center in Pune will consist of a team of phycologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, child, and adult psychiatrists, amongst others who will be offering counseling, therapy, and treatment in a safe and supportive environment. The Mpower Pune Center boasts of a 5000 sqft facility with 8 consulting rooms and 13 therapy rooms to ensure patient comfortability and confidentiality is maintained.
Speaking at the launch of Mpower- Center in Pune at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Neerja Birla, Founder & Chairperson said, “Today over 14% of India suffers from some form of mental health concern which is close to 20 crore people. The pandemic has further aggravated the crisis even more, within the first month of the lockdown itself, the number of people experiencing mental health issues went up by 20%. 80% of the people with mental disorders do not receive treatment for over a year, leaving the treatment gap as high as 83%. Our primary and most essential purpose at Mpower is to encourage people to talk about their mental health concerns and not be afraid to seek expert help. The Pune Center will focus on offering people from across society complete mental healthcare solutions, allowing anyone with mental health issues to overcome them and lead a productive life.”
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Pune District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar, sent his warm wishes and a beautiful message for the launch of Mpower at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital. He shared, “I would like to congratulate Neerja Birla, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital and the entire team at Mpower for launching Mpower –Center in the IT Hub of Maharashtra – Pune. This is a step towards creating awareness about and addressing the mental health issues that persist among the population, especially the youth. Mpower has done some great work across Maharashtra which is highly commendable – be it launching the BMC Mpower Helpline or even launching mental well-being programs from CISF officers at the Mumbai airport. It is my sincere appeal to people across the city to make the most of the facilities available at Mpower, at Aditya Birla Memorial hospital.”
Rekha Dubey, CEO, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, said, “At Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, we strive to offer complete healthcare solutions. Since inception, we have strongly focused on physical healing. As caregivers, we see the struggles patients go through, and the toll it takes on their mental health. With the launch of Mpower Centre at the hospital, we look forward to offering holistic mental health services to our patients.”
On the occasion of the Pune Centre launch, Mpower has also launched the Mpower Mental Health Score survey. The 5 min online survey aims to give individuals a basic understanding of their mental health based on their own responses. The questions are related to the day to day life, behavioral patterns, overall lifestyle, habits etc. The questions are designed by experts and professionals to provide a basic understanding & sensitize users on their mental health spectrum and they can accordingly decide to seek guidance from professionals. The survey can be accessed through – http://mpowerminds.com/score.
Since its inception in 2016, Mpower has made its mark across the country with Mpower Centres at Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru, Mpower Foundation Mumbai, and Mpower Cells at BITS Pilani, BITS Goa, BITS Hyderabad and Birla College, Kalyan, all dedicated for alleviation of mental health concerns. Mpower has also reached out to people across age groups and sections of society through their various initiatives such as Project Saksham, Project Samvedna, Project Oorja, Project Mann, as well as grief and bereavement support groups to name a few.
