Hyderabad: The food poisoning incident at the govt-run Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Erragadda, earlier this month highlighted the condition of psychiatric patients in the state.
Although a state mental health authority (SMHA) has been established, mental health experts say that it is yet to completely implement the provisions of the Mental Health Act, 2017, across Telangana. The act was introduced to ensure that such individuals receive quality mental healthcare and are treated with dignity.
The state mental health authority’s role includes creating awareness about mental health and illness to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, as well as providing legal aid.
M Srinivas, president of the Hyderabad-based Network of Persons with Disabled Organisation (NPdO), claimed the SMHA is only working towards the physical well-being of psychiatric patients, neglecting their societal reintegration.
“Many patients have been abandoned by their families, and their rehabilitation is happening only for the namesake. As per the act, rehabilitation services should be closer to the patient’s residence, but most are forced to travel to Hyderabad. The properties of several of these patients are in dispute owing to their conditions, but legal services are not up to the mark. There is no standardisation as the act mandates. I doubt the authorities even know the exact number of psychiatric patients in the state,” he explained.
A junior doctor at the IMH, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Awareness programmes were supposed to make people aware of the symptoms so that they would recognise the problem first and then take steps for proper treatment. But that has hardly happened. District committees, which are required under the act, have not been formed.”
‘Infrastructure woes’
While IMH serves as the nodal institution for mental healthcare policies and regulations in Telangana, services are also provided at community mental healthcare centres (CMHCs) and govt hospitals in the state.
IMH currently houses nearly 200 patients in the three wards – discharge, non-discharge, and open – of whom around 100 are ready to be discharged. However, their families are reluctant to take them back owing to post-discharge chronic mental illness. Patients in all these wards were affected during the recent food poisoning incident that claimed the life of a destitute person and left 92 others ill.
In a report on June 11, TOI pointed out how IMH is grappling with infrastructure woes and staff shortages, thereby impacting patient care. While estimates say there are around eight lakh Psychiatric patients in Telangana, there are only about 600 mental health professionals, which is insufficient to meet growing needs.
Officials refute claims
A 2023 report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare highlighted that Telangana has only 50 to 60 accredited clinical psychologists, out of the total 2,840 in India. A senior official at the IMH, however, refuted the claims.
“The state mental health authority (SMHA) is functioning smoothly and is regularly taking care of patients’ rehabilitation through services of an NGO. Furthermore, awareness activities and other provisions of the act will be implemented soon.”
