Kamal Ghorui
Patna: Taking cognisance of alleged deficiencies in mental healthcare facilities and the absence of institutional support for mentally ill persons found abandoned on roads and streets across Bihar, the Patna high court has asked senior officials of the state and central govts to file their responses on the issue.A division bench comprising chief justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and justice Harish Kumar passed the order on Wednesday while hearing a public interest litigation initiated suo motu on the basis of a report prepared and submitted by the Bihar Legal Services Authority (BALSA).The report, dated Feb 17, was prepared following shortcomings observed by the chief justice and other judges during their visit on Feb 14 to the Bihar Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences (BIMHAS) at Koilwar in Bhojpur district, the state’s only govt-run institute dedicated to mental healthcare and research.Highlighting key deficiencies, the bench observed, “vast population of Bihar and its extensive geography necessarily require establishment of multiple branches of BIMHAS in its several regions. Absence of dedicated facilities/wards in each govt. Hospitals for homeless people suffering from mental illnesses is also a grey area of concern as shelter facilities are mandatory according to mental health care law,” the high court added.The bench also directed the principal secretary of the health department, director general of police, inspector general (prison), mental health authority and the director of BIMHAS to remain present through videoconferencing on March 16, the date fixed for the next hearing of the PIL.
