Partners

Over the decades, EHA has expanded its reach, now operating 19 hospitals and 47 projects across North and North East India. 

EHA runs a comprehensive Community Health and Development Program aimed at reducing the major disease burden at an affordable cost. The program currently supports 47 projects in 8 states, and 23 districts spanning areas such as disability, mental health, reproductive health, prevention of human trafficking and child abuse, and climate change. Their community-based mental health interventions have been developed in response to the increasing rates of suicide deaths and attempts in the rural districts of North and Eastern India.

Project with MHI

EHA has identified critical gaps in first-level responses to self-harm and suicide attempts at both the community level and clinical settings. While emergency care departments in hospitals are often the first point of care during suicide attempts, hospital systems in India do not regularly account for processes and procedures that can aid a sensitive response to survivors, and serve as preventative for future attempts. Delays in emergency care, limited accessibility to medical centres, and the absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the event of suicide attempts are further compounded by inadequate medical infrastructure, untrained personnel, shortages of life-saving medications, and misinformation regarding suicide attempt reporting obligations.

To tackle these challenges, EHA is developing comprehensive, evidence-based SOPs for emergency care for suicide survivors in the Indian context, incorporating both clinical-medical interventions and follow-up community care. The project will be implemented at Herbertpur Hospital (Dehradun, Uttarakhand) and Duncan Hospital (East Champaran, Bihar), focusing on improving immediate care protocols while enhancing community readiness to reduce symptom severity at the time of admission. By standardizing clinical practices and strengthening physician-patient relationships, the initiative is making strides toward reducing suicide mortality and repeated suicide attempts. This project will explore how hospitals can act as crucial sites of suicide prevention and operate as crucial contributors to the collection of suicide attempt data in lower-resource settings.

For more information on EHA's website.