India's patchy mental healthcare system failing to deliver during pandemic

Past pandemics led to worsening mental health issues and an increase in suicides, according to studies

Suraj Mahawar received a call from the Sawai Man Singh mortuary on June 19, 2020, four days after his father, Navratan Mahawar, 49, was admitted to the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), the largest government Covid-19 dedicated facility in Jaipur.

Lack of information from hospital authorities led the 28-year-old plumber to conclude that his father had died by suicide following his Covid-19 diagnosis. “We had not spoken to him after June 17,” Mahawar told IndiaSpend. “We had no idea whether he was being treated or if his health was changing.”

RUHS denied that Navratan had died by suicide. “The