Mentally-ill patients to be housed in 5 halfway homes

Mentally-ill patients will finally be housed in five halfway homes in the city and the Delhi government has directed a "reluctant" Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) to run these facilities.
At present, such patients are made to stay at government- run homes such as Asha Kiran and Asha Jyoti which are equipped to look after "mentally challenged" patients only.
"Mentally-ill patients can be cured. They need to be looked after by dedicated medical units. Halfway homes come into the picture as they cater to patients who are not fit to stay at home but do not need to be hospitalised," Ashwani Kumar, Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, said.

Two such centres are located at Rohini Sector 3, and one each in Rohini Sector 22, Narela and Dwarka. IHBAS was requested by the government to operationalise the homes, which will have a total capacity of around 150 beds, at the "earliest" last month.
"The Delhi government has decided that all the five halfway homes/longstay homes/day care centre shall be run by IHBAS. Therefore, IHBAS is requested to operationalise the said five homes at the earliest.
"The requirement of funds for running these homes may also be be communicated to the department for transferring the same to IHBAS," the communication, dated July 13, said.

Sources said IHBAS, which is funded jointly by the Centre and the city government, had showed a general disinclination to charge of the homes over the last few years and is still "reluctant", although the "government would remain firm in its position".