Mental patients missing is common

HYDERABAD: Babies missing from hospitals has become “common” so to speak. Now, doctors at the Institute of Mental Health, Erragadda, say it’s quite common for patients to go missing!Y Jayalaskhmi (40), mother of 20-year-old Pratap, is distraught. “My son was admitted to the hospital in the first week of November as he had mild psychological problems. He went missing from the hospital last week. We have been searching for him ever since,” she told City Express. She is understandably angry with the hospital staff who are of little help.Same is the case with N Narayanamma (35). Her husband N Vittal (40) from Chikod village in Medak district was admitted to the IMH a couple of weeks back. He has been missing for the past four days. His wife lodged a complaint with the police. “I had gone out to bring lunch for us both on Nov 29 as the hospital food is not edible. By the time I returned, my husband had vanished,” she recalled with a heavy heart.These are not isolated cases. Every month at least 10 patients go missing from the hospital. Their families file complaints at the police station and put up posters in Erragadda and other public places announcing rewards for any information on the whereabouts of their dear ones. Policemen at the SR Nagar police station confirm the recurring phenomenon. “Yes, we get about 10 to 12 missing complaints from patients’ families every month,” the cops said.However, the hospital staff sought to distance themselves from the issue. Dr V Pramod Kumar, superintendent of IMH, denied that patients were missing because of their negligence. “We are not responsible for the missing of out-patients. We are responsible for only patients who are being given treatment by orders of courts and prisons,” he clarified.Currently, there are about 310 patients in six open wards and two in in-patient wards. They undergo treatment for one week to six months. Jannu Saraih (55) from Mahbubnagar district,  a patient who has been in the IMH for more than a month in male ward III, said, “We hardly have any security with people of all kinds moving around. Moreover, people are playing and shouting inside the compound all the time. There are about 18 security men to cover three shifts. Hospital superintendent said they are going to increase the security from January.”In April, the National Humans Rights Commission had directed the IMH to address the problems in the hospital. “But so far, no action has been taken,” said a senior psychiatrist at the IMH. The hospital has its own set of problems. Of the 305 sanctioned posts, only 239 have been filled till date.