Maharashtra sets up halfway homes for mentally ill on road to recovery- Times of India
Jun 29, 2019, 08.25 AM IST Printed from MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has set up ‘halfway homes’ in three of its mental hospitals at Thane, Pune and Nagpur to help recovered patients prepare for life outside the facility and in the community. Public health minister Eknath Shinde made the announcement in the legislative council on Friday. A ‘halfway home’ is essentially a transitional living facility within the hospital premises itself. Recovered patients will be kept here for a few months before they are discharged from hospital. “Patients who get discharged from the mental hospital should be comfortable living on their own at the homes of relatives. We intend to help them integrate into the mainstream,” said Shinde. NCP MLC Hemant Takale raised an issue in the upper house about the need for proper treatment for mentally ill people hailing from rural areas. He also said the state should upgrade its treatment facilities for mental illness in accordance with developed countries. Shinde, while accepting the suggestion, said the government would form a committee to study facilities in other countries. The state currently has four mental hospitals in Thane, Pune, Nagpur and Ratnagiri which house over 3,000 patients. India has 4,000 psychiatrists, including 1,000 from Maharashtra. “We need more psychiatrists in the state. The government has already started awareness programmes in old age homes, schools and jails as well as in counselling centres,” added Shinde. The minister, while responding to a query about vacant posts in hospitals, clarified the government had filled most posts. He said the plan was part of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
