Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

No space for mentally ill City says it has no space for mentally ill

Anasuya Menon

Better facilities for psychiatric patients need of the hour

TROUBLE MAKERS, KEEP OFF: A mentally ill woman dons the cap of a constable and wields sticks to guard her bag at a bus shelter on Dr. Nanjappa Road in the city. The recent drive by the police to rehabilitate such people did not have the desired impac t due to lack of rehabilitation facilities. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

Coimbatore: Lack of proper rehabilitation facilities for psychiatric patients has virtually defeated the recent drive by the police in the city to rehabilitate such people.

The operation was to rehabilitate mentally challenged people, who roamed about the streets causing difficulty to traffic and pedestrians.

Seven people were picked up from various parts of Coimbatore and taken to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

But, since the hospital did not have adequate facilities to accommodate them, they had to be lodged at the Corporation shelter for destitute at R.S Puram on an ad-hoc basis, said T.S Anbu, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Coimbatore city, who led the operation.

The patients were given preliminary psychiatric treatment by the medical team from CMCH. But, due to lack of space and manpower, the hospital could not admit all of them, said D. Pradeep, Professor of Psychiatry, CMCH.

"The city does feel the need for a speciality hospital for psychiatric patients," he said.

The hospital had a small ward, which could accommodate only 14 patients and it was full most of the time, he pointed out. Severe cases that were taken to the CMCH were usually referred to the Institute of Mental Health Sciences, Kilpauk in Chennai.

Lack of resources

Apart from the Kilpauk Institute, the State does not have a hospital for psychiatric patientsThe CMCH catered to Erode, the Nilgiris and Dindigul districts.

The Central Government is implementing a National Mental Health programme in Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem and Ramanathapuram districts. Under this programme, a psychiatrist, a nurse and an assistant nurse would visit Public Health Centres and monitor patients with mental illnesses.

"This will be extended to Nagapattinam, Theni, Kanyakumari and Erode ," Dr. Pradeep said.

Proposal sent

"A proposal has been sent to the Government for setting up a psychiatric hospital in the medical college campus at Peelamedu," Dr. Pradeep said. But no action had been taken so far, he lamented.

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