-Suraj Pandey
Mumbai: From 2016 to September, 138 mentally ill patients have fled from 4 district mental hospitals in Maharashtra. Patients running away from the hospital shows that somewhere the security of the hospital is sluggish. Or else these incidents are happening due to lack of manpower. It is commonly heard that many times a patient who is unhappy with the treatment in a government hospital runs away from the hospital without informing anyone. So many times they go against the advice of doctors and take the discharge, but many times people suffering from mental illnesses do not understand what they are doing.
Many times they do not feel right after suddenly shifting them from home to the hospital for treatment. They always try that they have to be free from the hospital, but it is the responsibility of the hospital administration to pay attention to them, but the patients running away from the hospital shows some kind of sluggishness or negligence of the hospital administration. If we look at the data received from the Health Department, 138 patients have fled from Mental Hospital in Thane, Pune, Nagpur and Ratnagiri in 6 years. A senior doctor of Pune Mental Hospital said that many times patients want to go home, but the family members do not take them, such patients stay in awe and run away from the hospital as soon as they get the chance.
These figures are worrying: Dr. Sadhna Taide
In this context, Dr. Sadhna Taide, Director, Directorate of Health and Services said that this figure is worrying and the matter will be investigated at the earliest so that such incidents do not happen again.
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125 patients fled from Pune
Out of the 4 mental hospitals in the state, the maximum number of patients have fled from the hospital in Pune. 25 patients have fled in 2016-17, 40 in 2017-18, 27 in 2018-19, 10 in 2019-20 and 13 till September 2020- 21. During this period there are 10 patients from Nagpur, 2 patients from Ratnagiri and 1 patient from Thane. Most of these patients are suffering from other diseases including psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder.
Don’t know where 26 patients went
Out of 125 patients who fled from hospitals, 105 patients were found alive, but where did the 26 patients go, neither the hospital nor the family members know. There are 16 patients from Pune and 10 from Nagpur who have run away from the hospital, but where they went is not known.
5 committed suicide in Thane and 3 in Pune
Apart from escaping from the hospital, 5 patients in Thane Mental and 3 in Pune have also committed suicide. In Thane, in 2018-19, 2 in 2019-20 and in 2020-21 till September, 2 patients have committed suicide. Whereas in Pune, 1 patient has committed suicide in 2017-18 and 2 in 2019-20.
In view of the safety and security of the patients, CCTVs are being installed in the hospitals. Along with this, security guards are also being appointed in hospitals. Apart from this, measures are being planned to improve the security.
-Doctor. Sadhna Tayde, Joint Director, Director of Health and Services
The staff is trained to keep an eye on what the patients are doing and their activities. Many patients remain locked. No sharp (glass) object is kept so that the patient does not harm himself. The most important thing is that if the manpower is less, then the patients will definitely take advantage of it. Therefore, there is a need to put more emphasis on security measures.
-Doctor. Sagar Mundra, Psychiatrist