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In present scenario mental health care facilities are
negligible and the number of trained doctors, other medical
staff and social workers trained in mental health fall
far short of the requirements. Access to care is further
exacerbated by the fact that mental health care facilities
are nearly non-existent in the rural areas and even in
the urban areas not easily accessible. Care for the mentally
ill homeless is even worse as most institutions, government,
private or NGO run, do not cater to those without families.
Especially for homeless mentally ill women, this lack
of access to any care facility or support, results in
terrible forms of abuse and neglect.
At the presentation of the individual working groups,
the chairperson
of the Women's Commission of Tamil Nadu provided feedback
and highlighted the need to bringing mental illness onto
the agenda of the general public.
The workshop identified 24 points of action. These have
been put together as a manifest,
which highlights the right to mental health care as a
basic right. The manifest addresses the need to integrate
mental health care into basic/primary health care and
to involve community caregivers in the early identification,
care and follow up. It also calls for a review of the
current process of institutionalising persons with mental
illness and of the role of the police and the judiciary
in the process. Creating general awareness and sensitising
the medical profession, the judiciary and police, the
administration as well as the general public on the right
and the need for care was identified as a critical element
to ensuring that the homeless mentally ill are given their
rights.
Group proceedings:
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