Kerala HC orders safety audit of all three mental health care centres in state

Kochi: High court on Monday ordered the director of health services in Kerala, in concurrence with other concerned officers, to conduct a safety audit of all three mental health care centres in the state — at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode.The audit shall be conducted with specific reference to the areas where persons in need of care are housed and protected, and the report shall be made available to the court on March 3. A bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and M B Snehalatha issued the directives while considering a suo motu petition initiated following an incident on Saturday in which an inmate who escaped from the govt mental health centre at Thrissur allegedly stabbed three persons in nearby areas. Taking note of the incident on Saturday itself, the court had directed the amicus curiae, appointed in connection with cases relating to the mental health care sector, to file a report.During hearing on Monday, after perusing the amicus curiae's report, the court suo motu impleaded the secretary of the health and family welfare department of the state, the director of health services, the state police chief, the district police chief of Thrissur, the district medical officer of Thrissur and the superintendents of the mental health centres at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode as respondents in the petition.According to the report, Suraj, a native of Nepal, escaped from the mental health centre at Thrissur in the early hours of Feb 14, attacked three persons in the nearby area, and was later apprehended by local residents and handed over to police. The court sought a report from the district medical officer of Thrissur on the present condition of the injured persons and the treatment being provided to them. The bench further sought reports from the superintendents of the three mental health centres on the steps and measures in place to ensure the protection of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, as well as details of the security personnel deployed.With regard to security concerns, the court directed the superintendents of police/commissioners of Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode to ensure that adequate security is maintained at all mental health centres, based on requisitions made by the respective superintendents, so as to prevent such incidents in future. Accordingly, the bench adjourned the matter to March 3 for further consideration.