*10 March 2011* *CUTTACK *: The Mental Health Institute (MHI) of the SCB Medical College and Hospital will be upgraded into a centre of excellence. The ministry of health and family welfare has sanctioned Rs 30 crore for the project.
In the first phase the hospital has received an amount of Rs 5.28 crore for the construction of a new building for the centre. "We have started the construction work of the centre of excellence," said Dr Nilamadhav Rath, head of the mental health institute, SCB Medical College. Authorities have fixed 2012 as the deadline to complete the work. According to the hospital authorities, out of the sanctioned amount, a sum of Rs 18 crore will be spent on the construction of a five-storeyed building, Rs 9 crore on the purchase of equipment and the remaining Rs 3 crore on appointment of faculties. Doctors are hopeful, that after the upgradation of the mental health institute the quality of service will improve a lot. Besides, the project would pave the way for an increase in manpower which has become imperative in view of the increasing cases of psychiatric ailments in the state. "Currently the mental ward is 60 bedded but after completion of the project the strength of the ward will increase to 120. Accordingly the number of seats in the post graduate courses of psychiatry would also be raised," added Rath. Even specialised disciplines such as, para-clinical psychology, psychiatry social work and psychiatry nursing would also be introduced. Doctors claim there is a dearth of psychiatrists in the state and the situation is turning worse with rising cases of mental illness. According to records, everyday over 200 mental patients visit the MHI, but there are only seven doctors and two clinical psychologists to treat them. The situation is even worse in the two other government medical colleges MKCG MCH, Berhampur and VSS MCH Burla. While MKCG medical college and hospital is functioning with one psychiatrists, VSS medical college and hospital has only two psychiatrists. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-10/bhubaneswar/28676162_1_clinical-psychologists-mental-health-institute-hospital -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
