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Stop emotional atyachar, says mental asylum
Fed up of families refusing to take back recovered inmates, Thane Mental Hospital invokes new law to punish callous children of abandoned parents ………SANTOSH ANDHALE
Tired of people dumping their ailing relatives at the Thane Mental Hospital, its administrators have decided to invoke the new law that makes it mandatory for children to take care of their parents. They have also added police verification of relatives’ addresses to the admission procedure.
For 150 of the hospital’s inmates who have recovered from their illnesses, but are being ignored by their relatives, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act — effective in the state from March 1 — may bring some solace. “We are now going to put up a hoarding at the entrance, warning that action will be taken against children if they abandon their parents at the hospital,” said Dr A S Malve, superintendent of the 1,856-bed Thane Mental Hospital. The legislation provides for up to three years imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs 5,000 if children neglect their parents. The hospital now has 1,288 patients. More than 180 inmates have been living there, with no hope of going home, for 10-20 years.”Any mentally ill patient recovers sufficiently to go home in two to three months.
After that, he or she can be managed at home. However, the tendency is to abandon them as our society treats mental diseases as a social stigma. We have inmates who have completely recovered and are now engaged in normal activities. It’s sad that their relatives don’t want them back,” said Dr Malve.
NEW ADMISSION PROCEDURE From Friday, the hospital has been very strict about admissions. “We now take three relatives’ addresses and verify them with the police before admitting a patient. We demand copies of ration cards to ensure no fake address is registered. Persons accompanying a new patient must see the medical social worker. They have to face several interviews and counselling. We have also made it mandatory for relatives to visit their wards once a week or fortnightly,” Dr Malve said. A day care centre has been set up for patients who need care only during the day. Relatives must take them home at night. According to hospital sources, 25 people were admitted with fake addresses in 2006-2007. “Nobody turned up to meet them after they were admitted. We requested the police to find their relatives, only to find that they had registered fake addresses,” sources said.Dr Malve said that though the number of abandoned inmates was very high, it was also because there were patients picked up from the streets and brought in by the police. “In such cases, chances of finding relatives are very slim,” said Dr Malve. Several of the cured patients help maintain the garden, and even manage the library at the hospital. Dr Malve has approached NGOs to rehabilitate them. The hospital entrance will soon have a hoarding, warning patients’ children about action under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act
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