THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the completion of the inspection of over hundred mental health centres i n the private sector in various parts of the state, only four have been found to be adhering to guidelines framed by the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA).While the Health Department is still in the dark about the total number of mental health care centres in the state, it is in the process of conducting inspection of the facilities in the 160 centres that had applied for registration, which is now mandatory. Of the 107 centres that were inspected, only four were found to follow all the guidelines. The major violations were in the matter of manpower shortage, where the centres failed to employ adequate staff.“As per the guidelines, there should be one psychiatrist per 100 patients, one MBBS doctor for every 50 patients, one clinical psychologist or psychiatric social worker for every 100 patients, one staff nurse for every 10 patients, one attender for every 5 patients and so on.“Most of the mental healthcare centres failed to meet the manpower requirement,” said State Mental Health Authority secretary Dr Raju.Many centres also failed to meet the infrastructure requirements as well as proper facilities for the patients. The inspection officers of the SMHA found that most of the centres were overcrowded and with a bed strength that was far less than adequate. The inspection team also found that many mental health centres did not have proper compound wall, sanitation facilities and provision for safe drinking water.“We are not on a witch-hunt, but we want such centres to conform to rules,” said Health Secretary Rajiv Sadanandan.It may be recalled that the raid on the mental health care centre at Avanur near Thrissur on Monday had revealed shocking details about the way inmates were treated. The raid was carried out on the basis of the reports that in mental health care centres in the private sector, inmates were often locked up in rooms, their mobility restricted and often ill-treated. “We have given a time period of three months for all the centres to rectify defects, upgrade their facilities and recruit adequate manpower. They would be given registration and licence only after that,” said Dr Raju. Of the four that complied to guidelines, only two - Medical Trust Hospital, Ernakulam and Lakshmi Hospital at Tripunithura-had paid the fee for licence. “While the licence to function would be issued immediately, the other two, Gokulam Medical College and the Elite Hospital, would be given registration and licence as soon as they pay the required fees,” said the State Mental Health Authority officials.Of the 160 centres that had applied for registration, moves are on to complete inspection in 143 that had first put in the application. The inspection in the rest of the hospitals would also be completed in a time-bound manner.
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