HYDERABAD: While the Telangana government is taking mental health issues seriously with proposals of starting halfway homes, the number of patients admitted and those waiting to be discharged at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are far higher than the two proposed 50-bedded rehabilitation centres.
The IMH at Erragadda is the only mental health institution in the State, and is currently catering to over 357 in-patients including around 120 patients are yet to be discharged. The ambitious plan is to let the patients stay at these rehabilitation centres for as long as they want or need, if the patient’s family refuses to take them back. The rehabilitation centres aim to help and provide a buffer period for those patients who have recovered after their treatment but are not yet ready to go back to their families.
Speaking to Express, Dr Shankar, superintendent of IMH, explained, “We have planned two halfway homes, one each for male and female patients. Initially, we have proposed only two, however, once this plan takes off we will be planning more rehabilitation homes across the State. If some of the NGOs would like to come forward to set up these centres, State and Central government support will be provided to them,’’ he said.
Talking about the criteria for a patient to make it to the list of 50 people eligible for a spot in these halfway homes. “We haven’t jotted down the details, but it will depend on the number of patients that hospital is catering to at that point and the kind of patients the patients,” Shankar said.