Even as the debate whether people with mental illness are capable of doing jobs and need reservation and pension benefits has heated up, a Rs50 crore national project of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) is slowly taking shape in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh aiming to ensure rehabilitation services and facilities for the sector.
The CPWD has been asked to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the institute to be proposed to come up at five acres allotted by the MP Government at a meeting to be held soon at Bhopal. “Senior officials from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and CPWD besides State Government will attend the meeting,” said a official from the Ministry.
The project which is being executed on behalf of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry is in keeping with the observation of the Working Group constituted by Planning Commission for the XII Five Year Plan. It had observed that there is lack of opportunity for mentally ill people to ensure full recovery, inability of the family to provide adequate level of care, lack of preparedness to address different need of such class of disability and also inadequate rehabilitation service .
The official said, though there are dedicated specialised national institutes for each disability such as visually handicapped, hearing, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, multiple disabilities there is none for the rehabilitation of the people suffering from mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Once they are treated, they need to be rehabilitated to ensure their integration in mainstream. The NIHR will give them vocational training depending on their capabilities, the official added.
Recently, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi drew flak for doubting the ability of schizophrenia patients and other mentally ill patients. Activists argue that people with mental illness can be integrated in mainstream if backed with adequate opportunities and facilities.