104 Helpline: Over 7,000 effective interventions into mental health-related calls in Gujarat in five years
Ahmedabad accounts for the highest number of calls, 2,766, followed by Vadodara (584), Banaskantha (533), and Rajkot (453). Around 30 to 40 per cent of callers are repeat users, many of whom directly request the same counselor.
The majority of callers are men aged 30 to 35, typically mid-career individuals struggling with emotional isolation, family pressure, or professional stress, the data reveals.
The 104 Helpline, which connects callers to trained counselors, follows a four-stage intervention process designed to provide immediate relief and sustained support.
If necessary, emergency responders like the local police or the 181 women's helpline are brought in. The helpline classifies calls under seven broad categories: mental illness, family-related conflict, romantic relationship issues, medical illness, physical or sexual harassment, education-related stress, and others.
In addition to suicide prevention, the 104 Helpline also provides health-related information, including guidance on immunization, maternal health, and government health schemes.
It serves as a bridge between the public and the healthcare system, particularly for those whose needs are urgent but not immediately life-threatening, unlike the 108 ambulance service.
Film on 104 Helpline
'CALL 104', a film based on the working of the state's 104 Health Helpline, was screened on August 1 at an event held in Ahmedabad. During the event, several beneficiaries and counselors shared their stories and experiences with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Speaking on the occasion, Vinod Damor, a beneficiary, shared the story of his cousin Anant who had been battling suicidal thoughts.
'He had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but his father forced him to join engineering. After that he completely lost interest in life,' Damor said.
'We encouraged him to call 104. They (counselors) helped him find a reason to keep going. Today, he's leading a happy life,' Damor said.
Usha Patel, a counselor working with 104 Helpline, said: 'I've been able to save lives, sometimes just by listening and other times by stepping in with real-time support.'
(Jay Jani is an Intern working with the Indian Express)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Goa's emergency medical services are a model for India
Written by Vishwajit P Rane Across India, millions die not from lack of medical care, but from the inability to access it in time. The precious 'golden hour' — those critical first 60 minutes after an emergency — becomes a race against time that too many families lose. This healthcare gap hits India's poorest the hardest, where medical emergencies bring double tragedy: Fear of losing a loved one and crushing medical bills that destroy generations of progress. Before 2008, Goa faced typical emergency care challenges despite advanced infrastructure. Unpredictable delays, fragmented services, and economic barriers particularly affected migrant workers and daily labourers. Geographic complexities, narrow roads, the tourist influx, and scattered communities compounded these problems. The journey of revolutionary transformation began in September 2008 with the establishment of Goa's 108 Emergency Medical Services through partnerships with EMRI Green Health Services. Starting with 18 Basic Life Support ambulances, this initiative reimagined emergency care beyond simple transport to integrated response systems. This transformation needed more investment and a dedicated control system which got more prominence after 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisioned a path towards affordable and accessible healthcare for all. Today, Goa has a fleet of 103 vehicles, including Advanced Life Support ambulances, Cardiac Care units, Neo-Natal ambulances, and bike ambulances that navigate Goa's unique landscape. This diversification addresses geographic, economic, and social barriers that lead to healthcare exclusion. The state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre in Bambolim operates 24/7, with an average response time of less than 12 minutes. GPS-enabled vehicles, Computer-Aided Dispatch systems, and Electronic Patient Care Records create seamless coordination between responders and hospitals. So far, 16 Emergency Care Centres across Primary and Community Health Centres have handled over 5,24,000 emergencies, proving distributed care effectiveness. The 104 Health Helpline, launched in 2018, processed over 79,334 calls during Covid-19, serving as a vital public health communication bridge in Goa. The Community First Responder programme trains one family member per household in emergency medical assistance, creating distributed networks of first responders. This community-based approach recognises that sustainable emergency response must build local capacity, not just rely on professional services. The numbers tell a powerful story: Over 8,10,000 emergencies handled, more than 60,435 lives saved, and over 1,38,000 road accident victims transported safely. Beyond statistics, the service has gained national recognition, with multiple states studying Goa's model for adaptation. When emergency care becomes universally accessible, families gain freedom to pursue business ventures previously considered too risky. The World Health Organisation found that over 60 million Indians fall into poverty annually due to healthcare expenses — Goa's model breaks this destructive cycle. Women, especially, benefit from accessible emergency childbirth care, gaining confidence in family planning decisions. The peace of mind from healthcare security enables families to dream bigger, invest in the future, and pursue opportunities that drive prosperity. Emergency medical services work as powerful economic liberation tools. When comprehensive emergency coverage provides financial protection, small business owners, daily wage workers, and migrant labourers can engage more confidently in productive work. Communities with reliable emergency services typically experience increased economic activity as residents feel secure enough to invest locally. The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) which provides free transportation for pregnant women and sick newborns from public health facilities back to their homes after delivery or treatment have assisted over 50,660 pregnant women and facilitated more than 5,000 emergency deliveries in Goa. The STEMI initiative has substantially reduced heart attack death rates through coordinated rapid response protocols. Goa's success demonstrates a practical implementation of the Prime Minister's healthcare vision on a larger scale. The key elements that enable successful replication across India include treating emergency care as a public service rather than a market product, ensuring universal access regardless of economic status. The integration of advanced technological systems with skilled personnel creates powerful combinations that maximise effectiveness, while community empowerment initiatives build local capacity alongside professional services. Continuous improvement through evidence-based enhancement and systematic monitoring ensures sustained quality and responsiveness to evolving needs. This comprehensive approach has earned the model international recognition, positioning India as a global leader in innovative emergency healthcare delivery and attracting valuable opportunities for knowledge sharing and technical cooperation with international health organisations. The state health department is now focusing on artificial intelligence applications in the health sector, expanded telemedicine integration, and enhanced climate change adaptation. Integration with broader digital health systems will enable transition from reactive emergency response toward proactive health promotion and disease prevention. Goa's Emergency Medical Services transformation addresses systematic challenges while advancing inclusive development. This initiative goes beyond traditional healthcare to become a powerful tool for social justice and economic progress in the state. The model validates treating healthcare as strategic investment in human potential rather than welfare spending. By ensuring universal access to excellent emergency care regardless of economic circumstances, the service makes real the constitutional promise of healthcare as fundamental right while contributing to poverty reduction and social mobility. As India pursues the Prime Minister's vision of a healthy, prosperous nation, Goa's experience provides valuable evidence that emergency medical services can catalyse comprehensive social transformation. The integration of immediate medical response with broader social support offers a practical blueprint for healthcare delivery that addresses both disease burdens and social factors affecting health. In India's development journey, Goa's emergency medical services emerges as an inspiring chapter where technology and humanity, efficiency and empathy, innovation and tradition create something truly special — not merely a healthcare service, but a beacon of hope lighting pathways toward a more equal, compassionate, and prosperous future for all Indians. The writer is the Health Minister of Goa
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
104 Helpline: Over 7,000 effective interventions into mental health-related calls in Gujarat in five years
The 104 Suicide Prevention Helpline of Gujarat has received a total of 8,763 calls since its inception in September 2019 till June 2025. Of these, 7,372 were classified as 'effective' calls, meaning the callers required and received some form of counseling or intervention, according to the official data from EMRI Green Health Services. Ahmedabad accounts for the highest number of calls, 2,766, followed by Vadodara (584), Banaskantha (533), and Rajkot (453). Around 30 to 40 per cent of callers are repeat users, many of whom directly request the same counselor. The majority of callers are men aged 30 to 35, typically mid-career individuals struggling with emotional isolation, family pressure, or professional stress, the data reveals. The 104 Helpline, which connects callers to trained counselors, follows a four-stage intervention process designed to provide immediate relief and sustained support. If necessary, emergency responders like the local police or the 181 women's helpline are brought in. The helpline classifies calls under seven broad categories: mental illness, family-related conflict, romantic relationship issues, medical illness, physical or sexual harassment, education-related stress, and others. In addition to suicide prevention, the 104 Helpline also provides health-related information, including guidance on immunization, maternal health, and government health schemes. It serves as a bridge between the public and the healthcare system, particularly for those whose needs are urgent but not immediately life-threatening, unlike the 108 ambulance service. Film on 104 Helpline 'CALL 104', a film based on the working of the state's 104 Health Helpline, was screened on August 1 at an event held in Ahmedabad. During the event, several beneficiaries and counselors shared their stories and experiences with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Speaking on the occasion, Vinod Damor, a beneficiary, shared the story of his cousin Anant who had been battling suicidal thoughts. 'He had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but his father forced him to join engineering. After that he completely lost interest in life,' Damor said. 'We encouraged him to call 104. They (counselors) helped him find a reason to keep going. Today, he's leading a happy life,' Damor said. Usha Patel, a counselor working with 104 Helpline, said: 'I've been able to save lives, sometimes just by listening and other times by stepping in with real-time support.' (Jay Jani is an Intern working with the Indian Express)
Hans India
02-08-2025
- Hans India
Health experts urge govt to mandate dengue reporting
Hyderabad: Health experts are urging the government to establish a mechanism that ensures hospitals report dengue complications. They also suggest that protocol-based treatment should be encouraged through knowledge-sharing between tertiary centres and rural areas to prevent deaths and huge expenditures. As dengue is a seasonal, epidemic disease, complications often require tertiary centre monitoring. From prevention to updating protocol-based treatment, a new approach is urgently needed for this tropical disease. Dr Madap Karuna, a consultant at EMRI Green Health Services, said that since dengue is a tropical disease, the cases may not be the same in Western countries, and therefore they may not have case studies of severe cases. 'There is a WHO protocol where we get to know not much about severe dengue management. The protocols have not been updated for severe cases,' said Dr Karuna. 'The policymakers also should know that the medical field is evolving; there are new diseases. During COVID, everybody was doing research and they gave a lot of options. Now, dengue is also changing patterns, as there are severe complications. Multi-centric studies should be encouraged by policymakers. We should give our data to WHO so that every doctor should know how to tackle it.' The issue doctors face with dengue cases is that patients are often brought to the hospital in a bad state. Doctors said that in this scenario, if there is already a publication or knowledge-sharing of experiences, the feedback can be helpful for patient treatment. The private sector has been making some effort through conferences at a nominal price, but there is no such mechanism from the rural centres, doctors noted. Doctors point out a rise in the number of dengue cases until September-October and therefore want the government to initiate awareness campaigns. Dr Karuna said that dengue has existed for two decades and people should know when to refer a patient, what type of treatment can be provided, etc. Similarly, the cost of treatments is also pushing patients into poverty. 'Once a child is in hospital, it is very difficult to manage,' said Dr Karuna. Senior cardiologist and faculty at the International Training Center at Gandhi Medical College, Dr Vijay Rao, said that while protocols and guidelines do exist in every field of medicine, sometimes it is practical common sense that helps in clinical medicine, especially in developing countries where resources are scarce.
