Set up mental health institutions like NIMHANS in every zone in India: HC

Chennai

A division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran (since retired) and Justice B Pugalendhi said, “When the World Health Organisation states that India is the most depressed country in the world, it is the duty of the central government along with all the State governments to have a comprehensive coordinated action plan in identifying patients with mental illness and giving appropriate treatment to those patients. It requires periodical survey.”It was impossible to give proper mental health care to the masses unless there was coordination between the State and central governments, the bench held. “It is stated that states such as Karnataka has devised digital monitoring mechanisms to oversee District Mental Health Programme and the implementation of the Metal Healthcare Act, 2017.

“The Karnataka Mental Health Management System (e-Manas) has been developed to be compliant for implementation of the MHA, 2017, with provisions for registering of mental health establishments and mental health professionals, and also facilitates the functioning of the State Mental Health Authority and Mental Health Review Boards,” the bench noted.

The bench also asked the Union government and State governments to take efforts to have a taluk level psychiatrist in the taluk headquarters hospital.

It also added that the concept of having only mental hospitals to provide psychiatric care was an outdated one and that a majority of persons with mental illnesses could be managed in the community or through outpatient-care.

“There is acute shortage of psychiatrists and child psychiatrists. Therefore, every medical college should have Department of Psychiatry and should have Psychiatry PG course so that a greater number of psychiatrists would be produced,” the bench added. It also asked the government to sensitise the people about the availability of the insurance coverage to patients with mental illnesses.

The bench was passing orders on a plea seeking to set up a medical wing at either Tiruchy or Madurai central prisons with round-the-clock availability of treatment by the psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, psychiatric social workers, mental health nurses and other paramedical staff to treatment to prisoners with mental illness.