Once a decision is taken by the treating physician to admit mentally ill
person as In Patient Department patient, family members and relatives of
the patient should respect such a decision and volunteer to stay with the
patient in open/family ward, furnish accurate postal address to hospital
authorities at the time of admission and their relationship with the patient;
●
Ensuring that after the person has been effectively treated and fit for
discharge, he/she is taken home, treated kindly and given the best care
and attention, ensuring strict and timely compliance with prescribed
medicines to avoid relapse of illness;
●
The family members should bring patient to the hospital for follow up and
collection of medicines (normally they are issued for 30 days) and need to
ensure drug compliance issued by the treating physician in the wake of
such follow up;
●
Family members should Infuse hope, faith and confidence in the mind of
the recovering person all the time that he/she can be effectively treated,
cured and can resume a normal life like in any other illness; extend
cooperation to the psychiatric social worker follow-up home visits.
●
Human rights of the mentally ill at the hospital
No person seeking help for mental distress or illness should be refused
examination at the Out Patient Department (OPD) on any ground whatsoever;
●
Similarly no patient should be refused admission as an inpatient if the same
is considered necessary by the physician examining him/her;
●
No mentally ill person or their caregivers should be subjected to any abuse
or offensive treatment or treatment that borders on cruelty or torture;
instead they should be treated with utmost civility, courtesy and
consideration;
●
No patient, howsoever violent or aggressive, should be brought with fetters
and should be allowed to remain with fetters. If violence and aggression
persists, the patient should be put under sedation and kept in an
observation room till such time he/she is fully tranquillized and brought to
the Medical Officer in the OPD for examination, diagnosis and a decision
taken whether the patient should be admitted as an IPD patient;
●
There should be proper seating arrangement for patients along with their
family members/relatives and provision of clean potable water, toilet,
newspapers (through a stand) and television; a hospital canteen in the
OPD
●
At the OPD there should be sufficient number of registration counters to
cater to the needs of people in different age groups (adults, adolescents,
elderly and the children) as also women and men;
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10
National Human Rights Commission