The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday said all the 46 government mental healthcare institutions across the country were in deplorable condition, and depicted a very pathetic handling by different stakeholders.
Special Rapporteurs of the Commission visited all the institutions across the country to assess the ground situation and the status of implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
The Commission found that there was acute shortage of doctors and staff and in many cases, cured patients were being kept illegally in the hospitals.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the reports of the visits, the Commission issued notices to the Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary, Director General of Health Services. The Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in the metropolitan cities of all the States and Union Territories, and Directors of the 46 mental institutions, were also issued notices.
The State Chief Secretaries, Secretaries of Health, and UT Administrators have been asked to submit an Action Taken Report on various issues including financial or social audit report of the last three years. The Commission also sought details of measures taken to ensure decrowding of mental hospitals/institutes and create a conducive and hygienic atmosphere for lodging.
Additionally, the Commission called for records on discharged patients of the last five years and their rehabilitation; reunion with the family or community; if any of them had become new inmates again; and the status of the number of such persons staying in the hospital for a particular reason.
Non-integrated
The Commission’s visit reports found that none of the institutes had taken effective or long-term measures to ensure that a mentally ill person could exercise his right to community living unfettered, unchallenged and/ or without any hindrance.
It was a travesty that provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act have failed to ignite the consciousness of the appropriate governments to provide adequate support to such vulnerable persons who were suffering from mental illness, the Commission noted.
The Commission remarked that the more aggravating factor was that even after recovery, the patients were not being allowed to reunite with the society or family for the purpose of community living, which was not only unconstitutional in view of Article 21 of the Constitution but also a failure of the State Government(s).
