and timing?
On Mon, May 5, 2014 at 9:44 PM, The DISpatch <[email protected]>wrote: > http://nhrc.nic.in/forthcomingevents.htm > > *Date : 30 May 2014* > *Venue : India International Centre Seminar Hall, Kamladevi Complex, Max > Mueller Marg, Delhi* > > > *Background Note* > > A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments have > been in place since 1945. The United Nations (UN) provided an ideal forum > for the evolution and adoption of these instruments. It is explicitly > mentioned in Article 25(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights > (UDHR) that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for > the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, > clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services,…..”. The > inclusion of “health” and “medical care” in the UDHR has led to Article 12 > in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, > 1966. The UN Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness > and the Improvement of Mental Health Care, 1991 recognizes the enjoyment of > the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health as the right > of every human being. In 1996, the World Health Organization prescribed > ten basic principles for ‘Mental Health Care Law’ which acts as a guide to > assist countries in developing mental health laws. > > 2. The Constitution of India guarantees certain Fundamental Rights to all > its citizens. The provisions of Article 21 – “Protection of life and > personal liberty” have been judicially interpreted to expand the meaning > and scope of the right to life to include the right to health and to make > it a guaranteed Fundamental Right which is enforceable by virtue of the > constitutional remedy under Article 32 of the Constitution. It is > therefore imperative that the mentally ill persons receive good quality > mental health care and human living conditions not only in institutions but > also in their homes. Despite this, mental health care is not perceived as > an important aspect of public health care. The mental health legislations > in India, in particular, the Mental Health Act, 1987 and the Persons with > Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full > Participation) Act, 1995, have one common objective, that is, to provide > dignified living, protect human rights and address the promotive, > preventive and curative aspects of mental health. However, due to their > ineffective implementation, these Acts have not provided the desired > results. > > 3. The National Human Rights Commission, as part of its mandate under > Section 12, has been visiting mental institutions under the control of the > State Government, where persons have been detained or lodged for the > purposes of treatment, reformation or protection, for the study of the > livings conditions of the inmates thereof and make recommendations thereon > to the Government. In 1997, as per the directions given by the Supreme > Court of India in W.P (Criminal) NO. 1900/1981, Dr. Upendra Buxi vs State > of Uttar Pradesh and others, it has been monitoring the functioning of > three mental hospitals in Agra, Gwalior and Ranchi. In the same year, the > NHRC also commissioned a project to NIMHANS to review the mental health > situation in the country, particularly in the mental hospitals. The > outcome of this project resulted in a publication titled “Quality Assurance > in Mental Health”. Subsequently, on its own initiative, the NHRC started > monitoring the functioning of all the mental hospitals in the country. The > Chairperson, Members, Special Rapporteurs and senior officials of the > Commission have been visiting the mental hospitals to study the conditions > of mentally ill persons in these hospitals and bring to the notice of the > concerned State Governments, the need for improvement in the functioning of > mental hospitals. > > 4. The Commission has also constituted a Core Group on Mental Health to > study the problems in rehabilitation of patients who are cured and > formulate an integrated programme for rehabilitation of patients and > establishment of Half-Way Home for the three mental hospitals in Agra, > Ranchi and Gwalior. It has been recommended by the Core Group that the > basic needs of mentally ill persons should be met and they should have > access to all entitlements including health insurance and pension. > > 5. In the year 2008-2009, the Commission urged the Medical Council of > India (MCI) and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to augment their > efforts for meeting the demand of adequate manpower in the field of mental > health. It thus proposed to the MCI to relax its Post-Graduate standards > from the present norm of ‘one Professor for one student’ in Psychiatry to > ‘one Professor and two students’. > > 6. In collaboration with NLSIU and NIMHANS in Bangalore, the Commission > also organized a “National Conference on Mental Health and Human Rights”. > Thereafter, five Regional Review Meetings on Mental Health were organized > by the Commission during 2009-2011 and a series of recommendations were > made and sent to all the stakeholders for compliance. > > 7. It took a serious note of the condition of mentally challenged persons > wrongly languishing in prisons without proper medical care and attention. > It is due to Commission’s effective monitoring that the number of mentally > ill persons languishing in various jails has come down considerably. It has > also been deeply concerned about mentally ill persons wandering in streets > without any proper care and treatment. These persons are often subjected to > ill-treatment and even sexual exploitation in the case of women. This is > largely due to the poor implementation and limited knowledge about the > provisions of the Mental Health Act, 1987 by the law-enforcing authorities. > In this regard, it has reiterated to all the State Governments/UTs to lay > emphasis on Section 25 of the Mental Health Act, 1987, which specifies the > powers and duties of police officers in respect of certain mentally ill > persons. > > 8. The Commission also took up the plight of persons with mental illness > languishing in Chamatkari Hanuman Temple in the Chindwara district of > Madhya Pradesh due to a mistaken belief that with the blessings of the > deity, the mentally ill people will be cured. On the request of NHRC, the > Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sent a team from NIMHANS, > Bangalore to visit Hanuman Temple and the Civil Hospital in Chindwara > District. On the basis of the recommendations of report, the Commission > suggested the Government of Madhya Pradesh to ensure that district > authorities create a proper home for mentally ill persons where they stay > and get themselves treated and rehabilitated. > > 9. Taking forward the concerted efforts of the Commission towards the > protection of human rights of mentally ill persons the Commission has > sought the intervention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court to issue appropriate > directions in the following areas of concern: > > There is a need to undertake a country wide epidemiological survey to > identify the magnitude of the problem of mental health with a perspective > plan concerning the task, financial implications, time-frame etc. in view > of the present as well as future requirement of the problems. > > There is need to give priority in allocation of financial resources by the > Central and State Governments for the regular maintenance and upgradation > of the physical infrastructure of mental health institutes/hospitals. > > Lack of adequate administrative and financial powers to the Director’s and > the Superintendents of the Mental Hospitals is seriously affecting their > functioning. > > Existing state run mental hospitals should be converted into > Teaching-cum-Training Institutes with adequate financial and manpower > resources. > > The concerned State Governments may be directed to sanction medical and > para-medical manpower to these institutions/hospitals as recommended by the > Commission. > > Sufficient number of seats may be created in medical colleges in MD > Psychiatry, M. Phil in Clinical Psychology and Psychiatric Social Work by > relaxing the existing norms of Medical Council of India. > > There is need to train an integrated team of Psychiatrists, Neurologists, > Neurosurgeons, Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatric Social workers Nurses > etc. to mange mental hospitals, Medical College Hospitals & District > Hospitals in the country. > > Psychiatry and mental health care should be made a compulsory independent > subject in the MBBS examination so that the young medical professionals > become capable of identifying the problem at the initial stage itself. > > Every State/UT must have atleast one mental hospital fully equipped with > latest equipments, a well developed infrastructure. > > There is a need of removal of all the deficiencies in the existing mental > health hospitals w.r.t. living conditions, providing nutritious and > balanced food, water supply, cleanliness and hygiene, environment, > sanitation, recreation, etc. in a time bound manner. > A national database of services and human resource manpower on mental > health care should be created by the Central Government. > > 10. In order to look into the above facts and to discuss that there is a > need for a coordinated and concerted effort on the part of all stakeholders > to ensure a dignified care and treatment system for the mentally ill > persons in the country, the Commission has decided to organize a National > Conference on Mental Health and Human Rights on 30 May 2014 at India > International Centre, Seminar Hall, First Floor, Kamladevi Complex, Max > Mueller Marg, New Delhi - 110003. > > Objectives > > 11. The main objectives of the Conference will be to: > > discuss ways in which the mental health services could be strengthened > from the perspective of human rights, in terms of availability, > accessibility, affordability and quality of mental health care; > discuss the approach of involving the community in the management of > mentally ill persons and sharing of best practices; > discuss ways in which the human resources for mental health care can be > improved so that proper care and treatment is given to mentally ill > persons; and > discuss strategies for creating awareness among people especially in rural > areas regarding the factual information about mental illness and ways to > deal with it scientifically. > > > Participants > > 12. The participants will include the representatives of concerned Union > Ministries, Directors of all Mental Hospitals, National Commission’s, State > Human Rights Commissions, NGOs, technical institutions like MCI, NIMH, NCI > and RCI and community based mental health care working in the field of > mental health and representatives of the International Organizations. > > ***** > > Source<https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4v1kkJfrQrZVkpjaGxNUkt6aXdDdU1YRDJ1S3ZLNXVvTWxN/edit> > http://nhrc.nic.in/forthcomingevents.htm > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (Reform) 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/MhaReformIndia?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 > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Mental Health Advocacy (Reform) India" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- *Whole Mind India Foundation* 111-C,1st Floor Shah Pur Jat Near State Bank of India New Delhi – 110049 Website: www.wholemindindia.org Email:*[email protected] <[email protected]>* (M) +91 9811327037 -- Follow us on : http://www.wholemindindia.org Akhileshwar Sahay, Principal Instigator, Whole Mind India Foundation E-mail - [email protected] M - 9810029322 -- -- 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 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
