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Tuesday 30 April 2013

Govt focus on mental healthcare : Guwahati

The state government has set up special units for mentally disabled people in district hospitals keeping in mind the rising number of such people in the state. The 10-bedded special units have been set up in 12 districts and, eventually, all the districts will be covered. Besides, more homes for wandering mentally disabled people will come up in the state.

Director of state health department Dhurb Hojai said that around five per cent of the total population of Assam is suffering from mental diseases and the number is on the rise. "So, to provide better healthcare facilities to such people, special units have been set up in district hospitals under the National Mental Health Programme," he said.

This year, around Rs 1.34 crore has been earmarked for executing this plan, the director informed, adding each of these units has a psychiatrist. "Mentally disabled people need a lot of care and only well-trained healthcare professionals can handle them properly. So, specially trained nurses have been appointed to these units for monitoring and observing the patients. Anti-psychiatry medicines will be provided free of cost in these units.

There are two main types of mental disorders that afflict people - psychosis and neurosis. People suffering from psychosis lose contact with the reality and live in a world of hallucination and delusions. Neurosis is a mental disorder involving distress.

"Recently, in a meeting it was decided that more mental homes will be constructed where the wandering mentally disabled people of the state can be housed. At present, there are mental homes in Bongaigaon, Boko, Guwahati and Tezpur. We have also involved NGOs and police to bring such people to these homes."

Source : T.O.I , 30th April 2013 

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