Government Mental Health Centre (GMHC), Kozhikode (12th to 15th April,
2009)
The Head nurse was in-charge of dietary department including cooking of food
and storage of provisions. The sanctioned post of a dietician was lying vacant.
The components of diet sanctioned per patient per day were rice 450 gm, wheat
200 gm, sugar 22 gm, Bread 100 gm, vegetables 200 gm, coconut oil 12 gm, big
onion 14 gm, dal 14 gm, tea dust 3 gm, salt 42 gm, Jaggery 50 gm, green gram
85 gm, Bengal gram 28 gm, tropic, curry powder 10 gm, milk 300 gm. There was
an arrangement of serving special diet after eight days of admission. The scales
of special diet were Sunday - one boiled egg; Monday - 50 gm. Mutton; Tuesday
- one boiled egg; Wednesday - 70 gm. fish, Thursday - one boiled egg; Friday one boiled egg, and Saturday - 70gm. fish. The dietary schedule in GMHC
Kozhikode was: tea with milk 5.30 AM; Wheat kanji/Rava Upama 8 AM; Bread
(100 gm) and milk 200 ml 10.30 AM; Rice and curry 1 PM; Black tea 4 PM; and
Rice Kanjhi with Puzhukku (tapioca with pulses) 7 PM.
The work environment in the kitchen was stuffy. Cooking gas was used as the
main fuel. There is no chimney in the kitchen. Ceramic tiles had been fixed upto
a sufficient height. Cutting of vegetables was done on one platform and washing
on another platform. The food grains and other provisions (sugar, salt, oil,
condiment etc.), green vegetables and fruits etc. were stored in independent
storage space. Food grains were procured from government agencies at controlled
prices and sufficient quantities were stocked.
There were 8 regular cooks working in two shifts in the kitchen. The cooked food
being stored in tinned copper vessels before serving was not a healthy
arrangement. Cooked food was transported through food trolleys from kitchen to
the various wards in closed containers and served in dinning halls under direct
supervision of Head Nurse in-charge of respective ward. In the absence of a
dietician, it was difficult to certify the nutritive value of food.
A chimney and more exhaust fans need to be installed in the kitchen and food
should be stored in stainless steel utensils rather than in copper vessels before
serving.
Gwalior Mansik Arogyashala (GMA), Gwalior (2nd to 4th February 2009, 21st
to 24th February, 2010 and 29th January to 1st February, 2011)
The scale of diet per patient per day remained unchanged at Rs. 34 despite a
steep rise in prices in general and food prices in particular. There is a very strong
possibility of reduction in nutritive value of food served to inmates due to food
inflation. This in turn would contribute to undernourishment or malnutrition of
inmates.
The hospital kitchen was rather small and without proper light and ventilation.
There were no exhaust fans, chimney, fly proof wire mesh, fly proof automatic
closing doors and platform for cutting and washing vegetables. There was no
electric kneader and chapatties were made on the floor. GMA sent a proposal
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National Human Rights Commission