215 mentally ill shifted to govt homes: Decision after chief secy ‘rejected’ proposal to construct half-way homes 5 months ago

Beggars’ home is a detention centre meant to lodge people found begging. The top court had set a November 30 deadline for all states and Union territories to comply and submit a report on rehabilitation.

Social and health activists have criticised the state government’s hasty move, stating these patients have been moved without their consent and to worse living conditions from hospitals to government homes. Activists added this was an “institutional transfer”, not rehabilitation.

“We plan to approach the court against the state government’s decision,” said Mohd Tarique, from NGO Koshish.

The Social Justice and Special Assistance Department has now sent a second proposal to the Finance Department for appointing NGOs to run half-way homes. According to secretary Dinesh Waghmare, the state government will pay an allowance of Rs 1,500 per patient per month, the salary of staff and maintenance cost to an NGO for rehabilitating mentally ill patients, who have been abandoned by their family members and no longer require treatment in hospital.

A budget of Rs 8 crore annually has been proposed along with eight half-way homes for the 215 patients, who are currently lodged in beggars’ homes, old age homes and shelter homes.

“Once the Finance Department approves the proposal, it will go to the Cabinet for approval. We have been pressing for half-way homes since some time now,” Waghmare said. He added the decision to transfer mentally ill patients to beggars’ homes was taken in consultation with health secretary and commissioner for persons with disability. “Beggars’ home had a lot of space and so it was decided to move them there. It is temporary,” Waghmare added.

State government officials, however, remain unclear about the time required to rope in NGOs to construct half-way homes. Whether the proposal will get a nod also remains unclear. Till then, the patients will remain admitted at government shelter homes and beggars’ home.

Maharashtra has currently tied up with one NGO, The Banyan, to rehabilitate mentally ill patients. “We have rehabilitated 12 patients. They live in flats together and are monitored by a social worker,” said Lakshmi Narsimhan, from The Banyan.

In 2016, lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal had filed a writ petition in the SC regarding a need to rehabilitate mentally ill patients in government hospitals. In its 2017 order, the SC directed all states and Union territories to set up rehabilitation homes for abandoned and treated patients, patients who don’t need hospitalisation, and homeless patients. The states were asked to comply within one year. In 2018, Bansal filed a contempt petition stating non-compliance of the SC order by several states. In July this year, SC granted time until November 30 for states to comply with the order.