Spatial distribution of government funded halfway homes for persons with mental illness across India

The Mental Health Care Act 2017 mandates appropriate governments to establish mental health care (MHC) services for community living of persons with mental illness (PwMI). Halfway homes (HWHs) are transitional centers providing such care, and data on their distribution and occupancy aids discharge planning from psychiatric hospitals.

To analyze the spatial distribution of halfway homes across several states of India.

Information made available to the public at the web portal https://halfwayhomes.disabilityaffair.gov.in/ was accessed, and extracted data was the distribution of HWH across several states of India and estimates were made to know about HWH beds per million adults in each state and across India.

By February 2025, 471 HWHs spread across India, funded by governments are offering transitional care services to 28,869 PwMIs with a total intake capacity of 30,747. Six states have only one HWH each; Kerala has the highest 202, followed by Tamil Nadu with 102. We estimate that there are about 31.5 HWH beds per one million adult population across India, with about a 2000-fold variation between states. Karnataka has the lowest number, and Sikkim has the highest HWH beds per one million adult population.

There is a great variation in the availability and, therefore, in the accessibility of HWH beds for PwMI across states. Further research is needed to understand the, possible reasons for observed variability and its association with prolonged hospitalization of PwMI, if any.