Sukoon Healthcare, an inpatient psychiatric hospital, has secured an investment of $15 million (approximately Rs 120 crore) from Lightrock India for a majority stake in the hospital.

On Wednesday, the Gurgaon-based hospital said in a statement that the investment, the largest to date in the mental health sector in the country, will help it build a large therapeutic behavioural health platform.

Sukoon provided evidence-based, globally recognised care and treatment for people with mental illness and said it would use the funding to expand into multiple locations, expand speciality services and partner with other providers.

Various estimates put the number of people living with mental health problems at around 200 million, at least 1% of whom require hospitalisation. But there is a severe shortage of specialists to provide care, with the country currently employing only about 10,000 psychiatrists and 1,000 clinical psychologists.

Founded in February 2020 by Vidit Bahri and Kanishk Gupta, Sukoon provides evidence-based care to patients using a multidisciplinary team of experienced psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counsellors and occupational therapists to ensure that each patient receives individualised and comprehensive care.

Upon completion of the transaction, Saleem Asaria, a partner at Lightrock India, will serve as executive chairman, while founders Bahri and Gupta will assume senior leadership roles.

Last year, Sukoon treated more than 11,000 patients with various diseases in inpatient and outpatient services. The company is expanding its services to Bengaluru and Mumbai as the first step in a pan-India scale plan.