On way back to sweet home

“Out of the 2,500 inmates under treatment at the hospital, 25 per cent are cured and can be shifted immediately,” says Dr. A.K. Iqbal, superintendent of the hospital. “Of them, 50 are patients, whose relatives are not traceable. They are manageable patients and don’t need constant supervision.” Compounding things is the presence of patients, some of who have spent over 50 years in the hospital. Their close relatives are either dead or in no condition to take care of an old person carrying the stigma of a stint at a pagalkhana.

“A normal homely atmosphere is vital for these patients. We will try to provide them the same,” said Dr. Iqbal. The idea is to begin with five barracks for 10 patients each. Each block will have a dining room, toilets, bathrooms and living space. The hospital is contacting social organisations, particularly non-government ones, to provide voluntary service in companionship and job placement for those fit to work in an external environment.

The half-way homes will also help them move from a mental hospital to the outside world not an easy proposition, says Dr Iqbal. The homes will not be constructed inside the mental hospital complex. The patients will be given patients complete freedom from the place they might have come to fear. They will function independently on lines of Muktangan De-addiction Centre.