Patient missing from Erragadda Mental Hospital

Hyderabad: A 20-year-old woman went missing from the Erragadda Mental Hospital in SR Nagar. The woman, C. Kamala, hailng from Khammam, was admitted in the hospital’s general ward three weeks ago. Hospital authorities could not find her after lunch break.  Police started a search after booking a case. Hospital authorities said the woman went missing on Monday afternoon. “During lunch hour the patients are allowed to go out for a break. Kamala did not return after that,” a hospital staffer said.

After searching the premises till Monday night the hospital authorities filed a complaint with police. Police said that Kamala was admitted in the hospital 21 days ago. Sources said the Erragadda Mental Hospital lacks security and that patients can easily escape. The records of SR Nagar police station indicate that around 15 people had gone missing from the hospital in the last two years. However, 80 per cent of them were later tracked to their own houses. But, Kamala has not yet reached home.

“We registered around 15 missing cases in the last two years. Most of them go home after escaping from the hospital. So we could track them,” said inspector G.V. Ramana Goud. However, the missing woman Kamala has not yet reached home.