VIJAYAWADA: Shraddha Foundation, in association with the state government, has launched “Mano Bandhu”, a website for reporting about the wandering mentally ill for their rehabilitation and possible reunification with their families.
Ajeya Kallam, principal advisor to AP CM, inaugurated the website on Tuesday. As per an MOU between Shraddha Foundation and AP government, the foundation will pick up the mentally ill from streets. It will provide them treatment and subsequently try to reunite them with their families, as is already being done in Tamil Nadu.
Shraddha’s founder trustee B. Ramakrishna Raju said during the last eight months, their foundation has already relocated more than 110 destitute, wandering in Visakhapatnam city and surrounding areas, into the Government Mental Hospital for treatment.
He regretted that there are no shelter homes for mentally challenged patients though, as per Mental Healthcare Act 2017, there should be two shelter homes – one for men and the other for women. He said it is shameful that even today, some of the mentally disturbed are chained or locked up in dingy rooms, intimidated and beaten up by their family members.
Ramakrishna Raju said that Mano Bandhu will bring awareness within public about the mental health services available for such patients.
Foundation’s associate member Dr. M. Suresh Babu said they are launching a study in collaboration with LibTech India on the wandering mentally ill destitute in AP and possible solutions for improving their situation. Their team will visit the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences, New Delhi, and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, to identify best practices as part of their field study.
