THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For many patients arriving for treatment, the Government Mental Health Centre in Peroorkada ultimately ends up becoming their home after recovery, as their own families are often unwilling or unable to take up their responsibility.
On Friday, 49 former patients who had recovered after treatment but continued to stay at the centre for years due to lack of support from their near and dear ones found a new shelter, the Gandhi Bhavan at Pathanapuram in Kollam.
The relocation was made possible with the help of Lions District 318 (A) after getting the nod from the Thiruvananthapuram District Legal Services Authority. The shifted residents, eight of them women, were provided with essentials. Two more persons will be shifted to Gandhi Bhavan soon.
The transition was an extremely emotional moment, and some wept as they left the mental health centre in an ambulance. For them, the facility had transformed from the place where they got treated years ago to one where they could live a peaceful and comfortable life. For them, the staff had become a family, one that actually took care of them.
“Most of the time, the families of the patients refuse to take care of them, either due to unwillingness or unfavourable circumstances. Such patients continue to stay at the centre.
There were also instances of patients finding comfort here and not wanting to leave. We had shifted a few people to other care centres earlier. This is the first time a facility has come forward to take care of 50 people,” an official with the Government Mental Health Centre told TNIE. The facility has 480 patients.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister K Muraleedharan called for a change in society’s mindset towards people who have recovered from mental illness.
“There have been several changes in the world. However, our society’s mindset and perspective towards mental health patients stay the same; they are still not included. This should also change to create a better environment for recovered patients,” he said. The minister also thanked the Lions Club and Gandhi Bhavan for the initiative.
Muraleedharan said the government has decided to improve the conditions and facilities, including the infrastructure, transportation and environment, in all three mental health centres in the state.