Annual Report - National Human Rights Commission

Right to Health
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Social Justice and Empowerment is under consideration in the Ministry. The staffing pattern
has been strengthened and rationalized to make this Institution realise its potential of becoming
a centre of excellence in the field of training and research in Mental Health. RINPAS is
running regular M.Phil and Ph.D courses in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work
with affiliation to Ranchi University. While appreciating the lab. and library facilities, the
Chairperson pointed out the need for development of computer facilities with access to
Internet. RINPAS has also been selected as a Nodal point for District Mental Health at
Dhumka (Jharkhand). The Chairperson advised the Management Committee to make use
of its autonomous character and speed up the development facilities for training of medical
and para-medical personnel.
7.38 The Institute of Mental Health (IMHH), Agra has shown significant progress in the
period of report in improving therapeutic facilities, patients’ care and recreation facilities.
The staffing pattern has been improved with creation of additional posts in all disciplines. A
number of long stay patients have been restored to their families through special efforts of
the staff and volunteers of Action Aid India. However, inadequacy of occupation therapy
facilities remains a pronounced weakness of this Institute. The reach of community health
programme needs more attention. Pace of development of training facilities is also found to
be slow.
7.39 The Commission has also been greatly concerned about a news report of an incident in
the Mental Hospital, Agra. According to the report, a psychiatrist, on the payment of bribes from
husbands, fabricated nearly ten false certificates of mental illness of their wives for the purposes
of securing divorce. Newspaper reports had brought forth the issue of languishing of healthy
persons in mental institutes, due to the wrong practices of some psychiatrists. The Commission
has issued notices to the Home Secretary, Uttar Pradesh, and the Director of the Mental Hospital,
Agra. The Commission is regularly monitoring the rehabilitation of mentally cured patients and
such instances reveal the insensitivity of persons vested with the responsibility of care of the
patients under their charge.
7.40 The progress of GMA, Gwalior in achieving the objectives set by the Supreme Court is
far from satisfactory There has been no significant improvement in the diagnostic and therapeutic
facilities. Treatment remains mainly medical confined to drugs and modified ECT with hardly
any psycho-social input or use of behavioral techniques. While occupational therapy facilities
on a moderate scale have been developed for female patients, male patients remain deprived of
this essential facility. No progress has been made in developing facilities for training of medical
and para-medical personnel. The Institute remained without a regular director and a number of
key posts in staffing pattern created under the directions, of the Supreme Court remained vacant.
In disregard of the Commission’s directions that the Institute should be headed by a Psychiatrist
even in a lower rank until the post of the Director is filled, the charge of Director, GMA was
entrusted to the Dean, Medical College, Gwalior as an additional responsibility.
National Human Rights Commission Annual Report - 2004-2005
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