Friends of Mental Health Care Indore

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Friends of Mental Health Care Indore

'A friend in need is a friend indeed' was probably the saying to be put into action by two stalwarts of mental health care in India. To name these two stalwarts 'Mr Harsh Mandir a senior IAS Officer who is one of the most committed and sensitive officer in India in general and in Madhya Pradesh in particular. The other one is Dr. Shrinivasa Murty Professor of Psychiatry and head at National Institute of Mental health and Neuro Sciences at Bangalore. Now we share with you all the story 'Friends of Mental Health Care', of coming into being.

Beginning of Peoples Participation.

One night, just as we were about to go to bed, we got a phone call from Government Officer "an SDM" saying that there is an urgent meeting next day at Medical College, Dr. Phillips, the Principal of Indore school of Social Work, had asked him on behalf of the district collector that we invite all the NGOs that we know to come to this meeting. We phoned many friends and could get some friends and some of them attended this meeting called by the District Collector Mr. Gopal Reddy.

In this meeting, Mr. Harsh Mandir, in the capacity of Officer on Special Duty of Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers Office, Dr. Murty in the capacity of Advisor on Mental Health Govt. of M.P. appealed to all the NGOs to come forward and help to improve the living conditions of the local Mental Hospital and the treatment meted out to the patients. Most of NGOs were touched by the information and the grim picture presented by these two persons. The gathering comprised of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors and educationists, doctors and reputed citizens of Indore. Very few of us had seen this mental hospital located at Van Ganga, one of the most notorious areas of Indore. The jail like conditions where 160 patients were treated and kept by almost equal number of staff were highlighted. The appeal to all present to come forward and join hands to improve the situation. They also said that the human rights of the patients were grossly violated as they had become victims of the system which instead of giving them sympathetic attention, care and services, was treating them with cruelty.

They specifically expressed the urgent need for generating public awareness, to provide vocational rehabilitation services and to make sure that special arrangements are made for those that have recovered but have been abandoned by their families.

We were quite sensitized and asked to visit and help the District Collector and District Administration to improve the conditions of the patients in the hospital. We decided to go to the hospital on 28th December 1997, along with 2 other persons who showed interest at that time, Mr. Deepak Surywanshi and Professor Y. Lalitamba. What we saw in the mental hospital was much worse than what was described to us in the meeting. When we consulted together we wrote to the Collector on January 1 1998 our suggestions to make an action plans to involve all the NGOs, Government Institutions and involve them all in care, logistics, vocational training, social skills, rehabilitation, sports, cultural, treatment of the inmates etc.

We waited for response to our letter. On the evening of 19 May 1998 our office got a phone call from Mr. Qadir Khan Secretary to the Additional Collector Indore, which said that my husband Mr. James McGilligan popularly known as Jimmy and myself have to at attend a meeting regarding Mental Hospital with Mr. Harsh Mandir.

We attended the meeting and, as a result of this meeting an informal organisation Friends of Mental Hospital Indore was formed by Mr. Harsh Mandir. It consisted of the Additional Collector, Medical Superintendent of Mental Hospital, Dean of Medical College, Mr. Vasant Bochare a Trustee of Asha Gram Barwani, Principal Indore School of Social Work, Executive Secretary MPVHA Mr. Deepak Suryawanshi , Vanachal Mr. Hira Lal Sharma Managing Trustee of Asha Gram.Barwani, and myself Mrs. Janak Palta McGilligan Director Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural Women was unanimously appointed convener of the organisation.

All agreed to work together for the upliftment of the mental hospital Indore through:

• Rehabilitation efforts
• Appointing volunteer counsellors
• Encouraging volunteers to assist the inmates of the hospital to learn social skills and some handicrafts, improve their food, drinking water, hygiene, living condition and treatment.

Building Bridges

The first step was to invite all the staff of the mental Hospital to Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural Women for a visit to see how with a limited staff and a low budget a residential programme could be run. Each one working here was happy and found his/her work satisfying. On this day I facilitated a participatory workshop of the staff of the hospital to see where they are and what they would like to change. It was found that most of the Mental Hospital staff was not satisfied with their work and they expressed that they would like to improve the hospital. They were assured that the Friends of Mental Hospital was not there to confront them or find fault but to assist them. Hence they should not feel threatened by the group i.e. friends who come from outside.

It was observed that some of the nursing staff started co-operating and welcomed help from outside, collaboration of District Administration Hospital Staff and Friends of Mental Health .

Friends of Mental Health had five meetings up to February 1999 and, in the process the group acquired some new friends and some others became inactive. During the period from May 1998 to February 1999 there were some regular and committed people who came to help.

Achievements

Some of the small but significant changes that took place were:

• some female patients who had recovered were separated.

• recovered but abandoned patients were involved in activities like cooking, gardening, sports, music.
• beds, clean mattresses, clothes, tooth brushes, soap, drinking water etc. were provided
• patients were trained in social skills like brushing their teeth regularly, keeping the room tidy, bathrooms, toilets clean etc.

Developed a Common Vision and Friendship

Though the Friends were coming together and trying to do their individual bits, but there was still no common vision developed until a group of friends visited Asha Gram in Barwani where a rehabilitation centre was started.

This visit brought all the Friends closer and they started trusting each other. We developed a common vision of rehabilitation and empowerment of people and not just doing charity.

More Developments

A very crucial meeting of the then District Collector, the Additional Collector and Friends of Mental Hospital took place on the 6th March 1999 at the Residency. The Friends, developed a clear vision for the following:

• A half way Home
• A request for a 50 bedded ward for mentally disabled at MY Hospital. This would do away with the stigma of being admitted in a mental hospital, which had social and emotional repercussions. The Dean of Medical College was involved. We also associated with NGOs who could accept the recovered but abandoned women inmates. Plans were developed by the Friends, and were given to the Government.

Another meeting was held with the same group of Government servants, NGOs and individuals. Meanwhile the Friends were successful to shift the recovered women patients into a separate hall of the Mental Hospital. They were brought to a level where they could communicate their need and difficulties clearly; they could manage on their own and were ready to be shifted to a suitable place for rehabilitation.

Kasturba Gram was identified as the right organisation to shift the recovered women to. The men could be shifted to Asha Gram Barwani.

More Participation and Support

The District Collector persuaded a Member of Parliament to donate Rs10 lakh to build a rehabilitation centre as an extension to the mental hospital.

There were small successes of mobilising the public support and demand for proper services and care for the people. The process has been slow, but has put pressure on the government and drawn it's attention towards the misery of the inmates. An effort has been made to meet the families of the abandoned.

The Friends have received Rs20 Lakh and 1½ acres of land to start a half way home named Smt Ratan Prabha Dhanda Nirog Dham in village Palda near Indore. Capt. Mr. Harish Dhanda, the donor, is the father of a mentally ill person. As part of this whole learning and growth process the Organisation has been renamed 'Friends of Mental Health Care' and has clearly unidentified 2 goals:

• The uplift and improve the quality of services at the Mental Hospital Indore, with peoples participation and rehabilitate the recovered patients with the help of families and NGOs. (On December 28, 1999 we discharged 2 young women Mrs. Nirmala and Miss Chhay from the Mental Hospital and shifted them to Kasturba Gram. Their families were not willing to keep them but co-operated to shift them. After some time Nirmala decided to go home at her own,her brother brought her back to keep her at Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural Women. At present she is under going vocational training and doing very well. This is just the beginning.)
• To develop the halfway home

It is a very challenging to work with the Government machinery, with the people who have their mind set about the suffering of the patients with mental disability, and the NGOs which have their own agenda. But we hope to go on to become the 'Friends in need' even though we deserve to be called 'Friends of Mental Health Care'.

By (Mr.) James R. McGilligan Executive Secretary

(Mrs.) Janak Palta McGilligan Chairperson