Kerala High Court orders government to ready adequate medicines, vehicles at mental health centres by November 24

Stating that assurances alone are not sufficient, and they have to translate into action, the Kerala High Court has directed the government to make available adequate medicines and vehicles in mental health centres by November 24.

A Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji, who had earlier this year visited the centres in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kozhikode acceded to the Advocate General’s request to file an action taken report by the same day on the construction of compound walls and the appointment of necessary personnel at the centres.

This was after the Advocate General submitted that the construction of compound walls around the centres was progressing at a good speed. On the appointment of personnel, he sought another two weeks’ time, saying that there had been a change of incumbent in the post of Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, and that he was in the process of evaluating the files concerned. The matter has been listed for hearing on November 24.

The High Court had in September expressed satisfaction at the government’s decision to rename mental health centres as “happiness and wellness centres”, observing that the (hitherto) stigmatisation of patients, their caregivers, and the centres as a whole was something one could not be oblivious to. The Advocate General had informed the court then that the government was looking into infrastructure and staff vacancy issues at the centres with ‘full sincerity’.