“At this old Kerala mental hospital, patients live like prisoners, in filth,” stated the headline of The New Indian Express. 

In a graphic account, the reporter, Shainu Mohan, described the inhuman conditions at the Government Mental Health Care Center in Peroorkada, Trivandrum.

“There were windows in some cells, but all of them have been sealed with iron grilles with mesh, limiting air circulation and sunlight. Darkness and foul smell suffocate inmates who are already down with mental aberrations,” he wrote in the newspaper.  

The mental healthcare facility was established by the Travancore royal family in 1870. The patients at the center live in overcrowded cells. Mohan said that there are currently 702 patients occupying 530 beds. The result is that many of the inmates are forced to sleep on the floor. 

Bathrooms and toilets are in deplorable conditions too. Based on the report, the State Human Rights Commission ordered a probe, directing the health services Director and the Center Superintendent to submit a report on the violations mentioned in the original newspaper story. 

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 revoked the earlier existing act of 1987 and stipulates that “every person will have the right to access mental healthcare services. Such services should be of good quality, convenient, affordable, and accessible.”

Featured image source: Kerala Kaumudi