The Union minister for health and family welfare, Anbumani Ramadoss said that social stigma attached to mental illness can be removed only in long run.

Mr. Ramadoss also expressed unhappiness with the running of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).

The health minister talked about the situation of mental illness treatment facilities at the silver jubilee celebration of Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) on Sunday.

Ramadoss said: "Social stigma can be removed only in the long run. Like the Act for HIV discrimination, we need an Act for mental illness. But we have only 3,500 psychiatrists to treat around 9% of the population that suffers from mental disorders."

He told the media that work for the vaccine park that is supposed to be coming up at an investment of over Rs 890 crore had already started.