Haryana brings mental health institutions under a six-category regulatory framework

The Haryana government has introduced a comprehensive regulatory framework for mental healthcare institutions, bringing hospitals, psychiatric departments, de-addiction centres and rehabilitation facilities under uniform standards governing registration, staffing, patient safety, treatment records and institutional accountability.

The Mental Healthcare (State Mental Health Authority) Regulations, 2026, notified by the Health Department on October 9 under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, establish detailed requirements for six categories of mental health establishments operating across the state.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sumita Misra, said on Wednesday that the regulations were aimed at strengthening oversight of mental healthcare services while ensuring that patients received treatment in safe, hygienic and dignified conditions.

The framework prescribes a fee of Rs 25,000 for permanent registration and requires institutions to submit documentary evidence demonstrating compliance with minimum operational standards.

𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

Misra said the regulations classify mental health establishments into six categories, designated A to F, according to the nature of services they provide.

These include standalone mental health establishments, psychiatric departments of medical colleges, psychiatric wards of multi-speciality hospitals, de-addiction centres, centres for psychosocial rehabilitation and other specified institutions.

The classification extends regulatory oversight beyond conventional psychiatric hospitals to include facilities providing residential rehabilitation, specialised psychiatric treatment and services for people with substance use disorders.

All institutions covered by the regulations must follow the applicable registration procedure under Section 65 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and demonstrate compliance with prescribed infrastructure, staffing and operational requirements.

The regulations also establish standards for professional qualifications and institutional accountability, requiring healthcare providers to maintain appropriate documentation and ensure that qualified personnel are available to deliver treatment.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲, 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Under the new framework, mental healthcare establishments must meet minimum standards relating to accommodation, sanitation, medical equipment, staffing and emergency preparedness.

Institutions are required to provide adequate ventilation, separate beds, clean bedding, safe drinking water, reliable electricity supply and appropriate sanitation facilities for male and female patients. They must also maintain power backup arrangements, fire safety measures and systems for the safe disposal of biomedical waste.

A specific provision prohibits residents from sleeping on the floor, making proper sleeping arrangements a mandatory requirement for institutions providing residential care.

The regulations also emphasise privacy, personal dignity, accessibility and protection against discrimination. Facilities must ensure that patients are treated in conditions that respect their rights and provide appropriate safeguards for vulnerable individuals.

Gender-sensitive treatment, confidentiality of medical information and access to treatment records are among the other requirements incorporated into the framework.

𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀

One of the significant provisions concerns the use of physical restraint on patients undergoing mental healthcare.

The regulations require institutions to minimise the use of restraint and train healthcare personnel in alternative methods of managing behavioural crises. Whenever physical restraint becomes necessary, the circumstances and reasons for its use must be properly documented.

For inpatient facilities, restraint is permitted only when necessary to prevent a patient from harming themselves or others. Such action must be authorised by the medical practitioner on duty or the consultant psychiatrist.

Institutions covered by the reporting requirement must submit monthly reports detailing instances of physical restraint to their respective District Mental Health Review Board within the first week of the following month.

The provision is intended to strengthen accountability and ensure that restraint is used only under specified medical circumstances rather than as a routine method of managing patients.

𝗗𝗲-𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀

The regulations introduce specific requirements for institutions providing treatment for substance use disorders.

Standalone de-addiction centres classified under Category D must register all patients on the Haryana De-addiction Monitoring System Portal, creating a digital record of individuals receiving treatment at these facilities.

Specified Category F institutions providing emergency treatment for substance use disorders must ensure psychiatric supervision and upload patient information to the same portal.

These requirements are intended to improve monitoring of treatment facilities, strengthen institutional accountability and provide the authorities with information on patients receiving de-addiction services.

The framework also includes provisions relating to advance directives, allowing individuals to record their preferences concerning future mental healthcare in accordance with the Mental Healthcare Act.

𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

The new regulations establish a common set of operational and patient-protection requirements for a broad range of mental healthcare providers, including institutions that may previously have operated under differing administrative arrangements.

By linking registration to minimum standards, the state government aims to strengthen oversight of treatment facilities and ensure that institutions maintain appropriate infrastructure, qualified personnel and reliable medical records.

The emphasis on confidentiality, dignity, emergency preparedness and safeguards against unnecessary physical restraint also places patients' rights at the centre of the regulatory framework.

Misra said the regulations would provide a structured mechanism for regulating mental healthcare establishments across Haryana, with compliance requirements extending to both conventional psychiatric facilities and specialised institutions providing rehabilitation and addiction treatment.