The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Ranchi, is providing home delivery of psychotropic drugs to patients suffering from mental illnesses – an initiative aimed at helping such mental health patients who cannot move out of their houses during the lockdown, DLSA officials said on Monday.
DLSA has launched a contact number on which patients can send their prescription over WhatsApp and avail the facility, DLSA Secretary Abhishek Kumar said. "Once the patient sends his or her prescription, we get the medicine delivered to their doorsteps," he added.
However, this facility is only available for people undergoing treatment at the Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) in Kanke. "We have also delivered medicines to patients living in far off rural areas like Sonahatu, Chanho and Tamar," said Kumar.
The initiative, he said, was primarily aimed at helping the patients living in rural areas as psychotropic drugs are not easily available in semi-urban and rural areas. "We only provide medicines that are mentioned in prescriptions," said Vicky, a DLSA volunteer involved in home delivery of psychotropic drugs.
The lockdown has triggered relapses in many mental health patients and also caused a spurt in cases of maiden episodes of depression and anxiety disorders, said doctors. This initiative, they said, will prevent relapses and may also prove to be a godsend for people with suicidal tendencies.
Senior Consultant at RINPAS, Dr. Siddharth Sinha said, "This initiative by DLSA is well-meaning. The lockdown has triggered a spurt in mental disorders and relapses have also become common. The accessibility to psychotropic drug makes the fight much easier for people suffering from mental health issues and dependent on medications."