Jul 8, 2012 Ambika Pandit
NEW DELHI : After a year under the care of strangers, Rekha, 40, is on the way to recovering her mental moorings, but her family has drifted beyond reach. A few days ago, an email from her US-based brother made it clear that they were unwilling to take her home. Where does Rekha go now? It's a question facing many mentally ill people in the city. Smriti Vaid from St Stephen's Hospital - the state-appointed mother NGO on homeless - says cases of mentally ill patients being abandoned on streets to fend for themselves are on the rise. "Rekha was found on August 16 last year. She was treated at the Institute of Human Behavior & Allied Sciences. After she started showing signs of recovery the big question was to find a space for her, as there is no government facility for such patients to stay in and recover till the time they can be re-integrated with society," Vaid said. When Rekha, an economics graduate from Nagpur, was found inside a tin shed in Karkardooma, she was living a beggar's life. She now stays at north Delhi's Kabir Basti shelter run by the voluntary organization Sudinalaya - the only such facility for mentally ill women. But with her family having abandoned her, recovery alone is no longer good news. Shelters for mentally ill not before next year Forty-year-old Rekha was found in a tin shed in Karkardooma a year ago. Though the mentally ill woman is on the road to recovery at a shelter home, her family has abandoned her. "Attempts to trace Rekha's family led to an address in Nagpur, and finally her brother called from the US to ask about her condition. Rekha's hopes rose after speaking to him, but finally all he sent8% was an email stating that he and his family had tried hard to support Rekha through her illness but she was unable to adjust with them, and now he was unwilling to take up her responsibility," said Smriti Vaid from St Stephen's Hospital, an NGO. "While the government has no facility of its own, it does not even attempt to support institutions that are trying to provide care," said Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury from Sudinalaya. In another case on June 27, the St Stephen's rescue team found a seemingly disturbed woman walking on the road near Tis Hazari Metro station. "Dressed in t-shirt and jeans, Meena had sore feet that suggested that she have been on the road a long time," said Sonu, a rescue team member. The 35-year-old's family was traced to Yamuna Vihar in northeast Delhi and it turned out that she had been missing since June 25. Her mother said they had complained to cops a day later. Although Meena's family was relieved to have her back, her mother worries about her disappearing again. "I want her to be admitted to some institution so that she can be monitored during treatment. At home, often it is not possible to predict her mood. At times, she refuses to take medicine." Meena's husband died around six years ago and she has a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. Dr Amod Kumar from St Stephen's said Meena's case also highlights the need for care homes. Meanwhile, the Delhi government is now trying to get its plan to build five halfway homes for such patients off the ground. Only after NGOs approached the Delhi high court a few years ago citing absence of facilities for the growing number of mentally ill people on the streets and drug addicts in need of long-term support did the state swing into action to set up these homes. A plan to build facilities in Dwarka, Narela and Rohini was thus conceptualized by the department of social %welfare. The proposal for these homes was recently cleared by the Expenditure Finance Committee, and the department of social welfare is preparing to award the work of construction to the public works department. However, the homes are unlikely to be ready till late next year, sources said. (Names of the women have been changed) http://sp.m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/14738764.cms -- 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
