121-member mental health team to provide psychosocial support to Wayanad landslide survivors

Thiruvananthapuram: A Mental Health Disaster Management team has been formed in Kerala to provide psychosocial support to survivors of the devastating landslide at Wayanad, where over 200 people lost their lives and almost as many are still missing, state Health Minister Veena George said on Friday.

George said a 121-member team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers and counsellors was formed on Tuesday, soon after the disaster struck the hilly district of Kerala.

She said only the special team members with ID cards issued by the health department will be allowed to provide mental health support to the survivors in relief camps and to those admitted in various hospitals.

The team has set up help desks at all the hospitals and relief camps.

"The mental health workers will listen to the concerns of the survivors and offer them comfort. Children, pregnant women and elderly people will be given priority," the minister said in a release.

The health department said the depression and anxiety caused due to the disaster may require long-term attention.

The team will also identify those who have mental health issues and ensure that their treatment is not interrupted.

Those with withdrawal symptoms due to addiction to liquor or drugs have also been identified and treated by the team, the release said.

The team is also providing counselling to health workers, rescue workers including the police, revenue officials, local self department officials and others who are dealing with the harrowing aftermath of the disaster.

Mental health assistance is also available through '14416' a 24-hour toll-free number, the health department said.

As many as 201 people have died and 264 were injured in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district three days ago, according to the health department.

Of the 264 injured, 176 persons have been discharged from hospital after receiving medical care, two have been referred to other hospitals and 86 continue to undergo treatment at various hospitals in the district, the department said.

The district administration has also said that 9,328 people displaced by the landslides are being housed in 91 relief camps in Wayanad.

Several people remain missing and rescuers are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings looking for survivors or bodies.