No psychologist, no paediatrician for nearly 1,000 inmates: What went wrong at Delhi govt shelter where 14 died

These are a few revelations in the report filed by the Department of Social Welfare before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday. The HC had sought a report from the Delhi government after 14 inhabitants of the shelter died within a month (July).

Here are some of the findings from the report:

• Of the 14 people who died in the home in July alone, seven were suffering from loose motions and gastroenteritis, three complained of breathing issues, three were suffering from malnutrition, three from anaemia and one from nutritional deficiency.
• The Chief Medical Officer and three Auxiliary Nurses and Midwives (ANMs) could not tell the team how Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated, the report says.
• Eleven doctors, including an internal medicine specialist, eight General Duty Medical Officers (GDMO), a paediatrician and a psychiatrist, are supposed to care for them but the posts of the internal medicine specialist, two GDMOs and paediatrician are lying vacant.
• The home is supposed to have three clinical psychologists. It has none. The post of a physiotherapist is also lying vacant.

But the problems don’t end here. There is only one cook in the home when there should be three and all five posts for washer men and women are vacant.

The home does not have a single PT (physical education) teacher, special educator, craft instructor or music teacher.

All of these issues have been overlooked despite the Social Welfare Department itself stating that the home provides vocational training, therapeutic services, art and craft workshops, skill development classes, sports and recreational activities and music and dance programmes.

The report also says that the inmates are given food thrice a day, with the staple menu comprising chapati, rice, seasonal vegetables and dal.

“Morning and evening tea is served either roasted chana or groundnuts (in winter)…It is pertinent to mention that the provision of milk, fruit and eggs is available only for children… and to adults only in case doctors prescribe a special diet. Patients of T.B./Hepatitis are also given a special diet as a routine measure. After the food is prepared, the designated Welfare Officer tastes the food and records quality satisfaction in the register,” the report says.

The report claims that the water samples lifted from the home were found fit for consumption.

The report, however, highlights that social stigmas and lack of public awareness sometimes result in persons with disabilities being abandoned.

“Children with intellectual disabilities who have no co-morbidities and various behavioural issues require highly personalised care and attention. Medical care is hard to maintain due to co-morbidity and low immunity. (They) are prone to get sick easily and are unable to explain their discomfort. As the persons with intellectual disabilities are unable to communicate their co-morbidities, it may cause undue delay in providing required medical treatment,” the report says.

The administration of the home, meanwhile, has converted the auditorium into a dormitory as the space is air-conditioned.

The Social Welfare Department officials directed that unused items be stored in rooms to create more open space for residents.

During the visit, the welfare officer was also directed to record whether fruits and vegetables were washed. The report also refers to meetings held in the past years to decongest the home, stating that the department was under “great pressure to decongest Asha Kiran’s home”.

It emphasises the need to shift some residents to the Asha Jyoti Home located at Nirmal Chhaya Complex, which at present houses foreign women detainees at the Detention Centre of Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Hari Nagar and Lampur. The report also refers to the issue being raised with the Home Ministry

The department has also sought permission to move residents to MCD’s nursing college and hostel building in Narela as a solution to the crowding issue. Two buildings in Dallupura in East Delhi and Mamurpur in Narela are also in the works.