24-MAR-2014 LUDHIANA : At the annual conference of the Punjab and Chandigarh branch of Indian Psychiatric Society held in Dayanand Medical College on March 22, psychiatrists rejected the mental healthcare bill proposed for psychotic patients, families and psychiatrists. According to psychiatrists, the bill is not in the interest of patients of mental illness. Dr Ajit Awasthi, professor of psychiatry at PGIMER , Chandigarh, who presented the lecture on the Mental Healthcare bill about to be introduced said, "It just deals with formalities to show that the government is concerned about people suffering from mental illness. Neither the families of mentally ill people nor psychiatrists were consulted before the bill was drafted." The mental health review commission and district bodies made to formulate the bill involved just one psychiatrist, he said. Dr AK Kala, a psychiatrist, who presented the lecture on this bill said, "In this bill, patients of mental illness have been given advanced directive to decide whether he wants to be treated or not. How is that justified? There is a chance left to add the clause needed for the welfare of patients and their families." The three major grounds of rejection of bill by the psychiatrist include, the right of the patient of mental illness to decide whether he want to take treatment further or not, right of the patient to nominate someone to take decisions for him and lack of consultation from psychiatrists and families of patients before drafting of the bill. According to the doctors this is not relevant. Dr Savita Malhotra, a psychiatrist, said, "Drafting of this bill is disturbing for both patient's family and psychiatrists. How can a patient can decide about treatment?" she questioned.
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