KOZHIKODE: The government mental hospital at Kuthiravattam here, started in 1872 with nine beds under the British Raj, still lacks better facilities, rehabilitation package for the cured patients and sufficient staff. Catering to all Malabar districts, the hospital is spread over 19.6 acres of land. Apart from regular treatment, it also provides research, rehabilitation, training in mental care and workshops. Among the 423 inmates, 50 are cured patients. The hospital which needs four psychiatrists has only one. It has a shortage of 10 percent staff in all categories, according to the authorities.
The hospital still has an official menu of the British period. But with public support, the quality of the food has been improved. The ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ project had focused on improving the life of inmates with social support. Hospital superintendent Dr N. Rajendran told DC that many of the cured patients remain in the hospital as there were none to receive them at home. Earlier, there were many patients who ended up in the mental asylum from other states.
“Through regular adalats with the help of police and even military personnel from northern states, we had managed to locate the families of many,” he said. “But the future of these hapless human beings should open our eyes,” he said and added that a rehabilitation package for the cured patients making them self-reliant is his dream. Indicating a downward trend in the number of inmates, Mr Rajendran said that for the first time in the history of the hospital, the hospital now has only 431 patients whereas the bed strength is 474.
The hospital had recently bagged a financial aid of Rs 100 crore from the state government for implementing the master plan. On the direction of the state government, a trust with the district collector as chairman and MLAs and MP as members has been formed. But doubts still linger about the implementation of the project as there would be a special mechanism, including exclusive staff, for its execution. Without a special officer drawn from IAS/IPS cadre and qualified staff, it would be difficult to ensure the timely execution of the project, it was pointed out.
