with stools to sit beside the beds of their patients and standing for long hours in the congested place besides being difficult also demotivated them to stay with the patient. There was no toilet facility for attenders of the patients and other Class III and Class IV staff of IMH. Some provision of resting place along with toilets may be made for Class III and Class IV staff in the new civil work proposed to be taken up by the State PWD. The bed sheets provided to patients were of very inferior quality and the condition of the mattress was no better. The copra was coming out from some of the coir mattresses. The Superintendent and IMH had no say in the matter as the mattresses, bed sheets, towels, pillows and pillow covers as these items were purchased supplied by the Superintendent, SCB Medical College for IMH, Cuttack. The floors of the wards were untidy because of the filth and dirt of the shoes of persons coming in and going out of the wards and the inadequate number of sanctioned posts of the sweepers. The arrangement for scientific disposal of biomedical wastes was not satisfactory. SCB Medical College Cuttack being responsible for disposal of biomedical waste had hired an agency ‘Medi-aid’ for this purpose but the said agency was not paying sufficient attention to collect the injectable syringes and hospital waste etc. The bins provided by SCB Medical College to IMH were grossly inadequate. Since Medi- aid was not collecting and disposing off the biomedical waste regularly, the disposable wastes were accumulating and polluting the environment and adding to the discontentment of the public. The superintendent IMH had drawn the attention of the Principal, SCB Medical College to the unsatisfactory state of affairs and Superintendent of SCB Medical College had issued a show cause notice to the agency concerned for its laxity and inaction. While outsourcing per se is not objectionable but ways and means have to be found to ensure adequate accountability of the outsourced agency. The Superintendent, SCB Medical College needs to pay proper attention to the disposal of biomedical waste. The process of disposal of biomedical waste should be carried to its logical conclusion by changing the existing agency by a better performing one. The disposal of biomedical waste of IMH may be incorporated while planning construction of a new six storey block. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government of India sanctioned an amount of Rs. 8 lakh for setting up of a Drug Deaddiction Centre in 1995. It took 8 years to complete the construction of a simple structure and the centre was formally opened in 2003 without sanctioning the essential staff and providing any equipment, furniture and accessories. The required number of posts had not been sanctioned and necessary equipment had not been procured and installed. There were no attenders or sweepers attached to the centre except 4 security personnel. Care and Treatment in Mental Health Institutions– Some Glimpses in the Recent Period 69