Starting this July, InnerHour is providing digital mental health services for healthcare professionals pro bono as part of the corporate social responsibility initiative of listed company Godrej Consumer Products.

WHAT IT DOES

InnerHour is a startup that runs a mental health and wellness platform offering free assessments, a range of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy tools, personalised content and one-on-one support to individuals and corporate clients. It also connects clients to a network of over 120 qualified therapists and psychiatrists across 150 cities in India. Its mobile app is available on both iOS and Android devices.

WHY IT MATTERS

Based on a press statement, InnerHour through its joint programme with Godrej dubbed Mind Care+ will be reaching out to more than five million doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from giving them access to self-help tools via its mobile app, it will also offer free remote counselling services.

About four in 10 Indian doctors were infected with the coronavirus disease since last year, based on estimates by the Indian Medical Association. That makes them susceptible to the risk of mental health illnesses, Godrej and Inner Hour said.

THE LARGER TREND

Roche Diagnostics India recently introduced the REACH wellness app that also renders mental health support to healthcare workers. It has been deployed in various hospitals across the country, including Tata Memorial Hospital. It is also being used among members of the United Nurses Association in Maharashtra.

A study published last year in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine found that support staff were five times and doctors 1.64 times more likely to experience burnout from the ongoing pandemic.

ON THE RECORD

"Due to the pandemic, healthcare professionals are working tirelessly and under tremendous pressure to provide critical care to COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. With Mind Care+ we are committed to supporting our peer healthcare professionals with self-help tools and remote counselling services," InnerHour Founder and CEO Dr Amit Malik said.

"Healthcare professionals are the frontline heroes in our battle with COVID-19. Our hearts go out to professionals who have been affected directly. This initiative is extending our employee assistance programme to healthcare professionals in India to help them seek therapy to address burnout, post-traumatic stress and anxiety," Godrej Consumer Products India-SAARC CEO Sunil Kataria also said.