New Delhi, May 5 -- Mental health, after years of being overlooked in India's healthcare discourse, is finally beginning to receive the attention it needs. A major milestone in this shift was the introduction of the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017, which came into force on 7 July 2018, replacing the outdated Mental Health Act of 1987. This Act redefined the rights of individuals with mental illnesses and made it mandatory for health insurance policies to include mental health coverage.

In individual policies, psychiatric ailments are covered by default as all policies need to be compliant with relevant regulations. However, despite this legislation, a significant gap remains between policy and its implementation. Many employees are st...