India
NHRC urges states to rehabilitate cured mental patients
By IANS
Apr 1, 2006, 14:26

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in India will take up with various state governments the issue of rehabilitating cured mental patients who are languishing at a well known hospital here.

Chaman Lal, an NHRC official, had visited the Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Science (RINPAS) and found that 97 patients who were cured were still languishing in the institute.

"Lal has assured us he will take up the issue with the respective states whose patients are languishing here despite the fact that they stand cured for many years," a RINPAS official told IANS.

"The NHRC will direct the respective states to take their patients back and keep them till they are rehabilitated."

According to RINPAS officials, there are more than a dozen patients who have been cured 20 years ago.

"The family members and relatives who admitted them here gave a wrong address to get rid of the patients. When the patients were cured the institute authorities sent letters to them but the address was found wrong," the official said.

"We cannot throw them out. We have requested NHRC to take up the matter of their rehabilitation seriously. The cured patients hamper the admission of new patients as the seats are limited," said another official.

The NHRC monitors the functioning of the RINPAS on the directive of the Supreme Court.

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