Mental health care in Marathwada earthquake disaster-1: Organisation of services

The Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health, Pane, took an initiative in ide ntifying the role of psychological management of disaster consequences in M arathwada. Soon after the Marathwada earthquake, a strategic plan was initi ated comprising a short-term component and a long-term component. The objec tive of the short-term plan was to make immediate availability of comprehen sive mental health care to the affected people at their doorsteps through d eputed humanpower. The long-term plan aimed at the development of permanent mental health care infrastructure locally, so as to ensure continuous avai lability of services to the community.