Date:17/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/17/stories/2007091760310400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Emergency services for mentally ill patients sought

Staff Reporter

The Department of Health and Family Welfare has over 526 ambulances
Rotary Club of Bangalore West and Amend to donate an ambulance

BANGALORE: The State Mental Health Authority will send a proposal to the State Government to amend rules pertaining to the Mental Health Act seeking emergency services to mentally ill patients in severely disturbed conditions.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting organised recently by the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities — Karnataka, that discussed ways and means of providing emergency crisis management services to mentally ill patients in disturbed conditions. The meeting was attended by senior psychiatrists, police officials and representatives of social service organisations, a press release from the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities said.

Among other decisions that was taken in the meeting include making available the ambulatory services to the mentally ill also.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare has over 526 ambulances in 175 taluks of the State.

The State Commissioner for Disabilities will also send a circular from the Department of Health and Family Welfare to direct all the private and public hospitals having ambulances to cater to the needs of transportation of the mentally ill patients also.

Circular

The Disabilities Commissioner will also send a circular to all the police stations through the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police instructing the police personnel to render necessary services to the mentally ill persons as per the Mental Health Act.

The Rotary Club of Bangalore West and Amend will donate an exclusive ambulance to cater to the needs of mentally ill persons that would be stationed at the Bangalore Police Commissioner’s office. Besides, Rotary Club of Bangalore West has offered to train and create awareness among the police personnel with respect to the admission of mentally ill persons to hospitals by the police as per the Mental Health Act.

A toll free telephone number 1056 will be shortly made available to the public to request ambulances for any type of medical emergencies including emergencies of mentally ill persons.