A recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia finds that integrating universal depression‑screening into India’s government primary‑healthcare (PHC) system could generate net savings between ₹291 billion and ₹482 billion — roughly 0.19 %–0.32 % of the country’s GDP.
The research, undertaken by experts from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, analysed existing population‑level data along with published literature to model the potential health and economic impact of a nationwide screening programme for adults.
The programme is expected to improve population health significantly. Screening individuals aged 30 years and above could reduce annual depression-related deaths by 15.6%, saving around 12,826 lives over the population’s lifetime. Expanding the coverage to adults aged 20 years and above could cut depression-related deaths by 15.3%, translating into 18,340 lives saved.
The gain in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per person ranges from 0.0273 to 0.0295, depending on the target age group. Economic evaluation shows that the intervention is cost-effective, with the incremental cost-utility ratio well below India’s per-capita GDP threshold.
The analysis indicates that the programme remains economically beneficial if at least 60% of patients identified through screening utilize public healthcare facilities. Expanding the screening to younger adults increases cost-effectiveness and maximizes the return on investment.
Beyond economic gains, the study highlights that early detection through universal screening could reduce depression-related suicides by approximately 15% annually. The findings underscore the public-health value of integrating mental health screening into primary care services and reinforce the importance of expanding coverage to younger populations while ensuring high diagnostic accuracy through trained health workers.
The study supports a nationwide scale-up of population-based depression screening under government primary healthcare programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, emphasizing that early intervention and systematic management can save lives while substantially reducing the economic burden of depression in India.
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