Chandigarh: In a major overhaul of psychiatric care and de-addiction facilities, the Haryana govt has notified a six-category regulatory framework to enforce strict standards on registration, patient safety, staffing, and treatment protocols across the state.




The Mental Healthcare ( State Mental Health Authority ) Regulations, 2026, issued under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, cover standalone mental health facilities, psychiatric wards in medical colleges and multi-specialty hospitals, de-addiction centres , and psychosocial rehabilitation homes.




Announcing the rules, additional chief secretary (health and family welfare) Dr Sumita Misra said institutions must comply with prescribed minimum standards and pay a permanent registration fee of ₹25,000. Under the new norms, facilities are classified into six categories (A to F). The standards mandate essential infrastructure including separate beds, proper ventilation, clean sanitation, power backup, and safe biomedical waste disposal, while explicitly prohibiting institutions from forcing patients to sleep on the floor. Addressing rampant abuses in private care facilities, the regulations impose strict safeguards on physical restraint. Restraints are now restricted solely to preventing self-harm or danger to others, requiring prior authorisation from an on-duty medical practitioner or consultant psychiatrist. Inpatient facilities must submit monthly restraint reports to their respective District Mental Health Review Boards .




To track substance abuse treatment, standalone de-addiction units (Category D) and emergency facilities (Category F) must mandatorily register all patients on the Haryana De-addiction Monitoring System Portal . District authorities have also been directed to expedite the registration of existing rehabilitation centres under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction.




The regulations further safeguard patient dignity, privacy, confidentiality, and gender-sensitive treatment, while standardising procedures for accessing medical records and registering advance care directives.




Aligned with Section 18 of the 2017 central law, the state aims to ensure minimum, standardized mental healthcare access across every district, offering enhanced safety and accountability for patients and their families seeking psychiatric care.