Haryana Enforces Strict Six-Tier Mental Health Regulations
The Haryana Health Department has notified a comprehensive regulatory framework to supervise mental health institutions across the state. Specifically, Additional Chief Secretary Sumita Misra confirmed the notification of the Mental Healthcare Regulations, 2026, issued under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Consequently, the state now brings all clinical operations, infrastructure standards, and institutional accountability under strict legal oversight.
Six Categories of Mental Health Institutions
Under the newly framed rules, the government classifies clinical centers into six distinct categories from A to F. For instance, the framework covers standalone psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric departments in medical colleges. Furthermore, it regulates psychiatric units in general multi-speciality hospitals, psychosocial rehabilitation homes, and de-addiction centers. In addition, institutions must pay a permanent registration fee of Rs 25,000 to the authority. Therefore, all facilities must produce verified documentary proof of standard compliance to secure valid registration under Section 65 of the Act.
Infrastructure and Quality Standards
Moreover, the regulations prescribe rigorous minimum standards for patient accommodation and safety. As a result, facilities must ensure proper ventilation, uninterrupted power backup, clean bedding, and separate sanitation facilities for men and women. Furthermore, the state strictly prohibits institutions from forcing patients to sleep on bare floors. The rules also mandate compliant biomedical waste disposal systems and robust fire safety protocols. Thus, every healthcare establishment must actively preserve patient dignity, hygiene, and emergency preparedness.
Protocol for Physical Restraints and Reporting
Significantly, the notification establishes stringent restrictions regarding physical restraint on psychiatric inpatients. Healthcare teams must minimize physical restraint and prioritize de-escalation techniques through alternative crisis management. In addition, a consultant psychiatrist must personally authorize any necessary restraint only to prevent self-harm or imminent danger. Consequently, facilities must document every incident meticulously in medical records. Furthermore, inpatient establishments must submit monthly restraint logs to the District Mental Health Review Board within one week.
Substance Use Portals and Patient Rights
Additionally, the regulations mandate enhanced digital tracking for addiction care centers across Haryana. Specifically, standalone de-addiction centers under Category D must record every patient on the Haryana De-addiction Monitoring System Portal. Similarly, Category F facilities providing acute substance use disorder interventions must maintain direct psychiatric supervision and register patient entries online. Meanwhile, the framework enforces confidential record-keeping, gender-sensitive therapies, non-discrimination, and legal advance directives. Therefore, mental healthcare practitioners in Haryana must immediately align their administrative and clinical workflows with these statutory requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What are the primary objectives of the new Haryana regulations?
The regulations establish enforceable quality standards, mandatory registration, robust patient rights, and rigorous clinical oversight for all psychiatric care centers.
Q2: When can clinicians use physical restraint under these rules?
Clinicians can authorize physical restraint only to prevent self-harm or violence to others, requiring strict documentation and monthly board reporting.
Q3: Which establishments must report to the De-addiction Monitoring Portal?
Category D standalone de-addiction centers and Category F emergency addiction facilities must register every patient on the official state portal.
References
- Haryana brings mental health institutions under six-category regulatoryframework - ETHealthworld
- Haryana brings mental health institutions under six-category regulatory framework - ThePrint
- The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 - Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
