As per the new rules, it is now mandatory to register psychiatrists, social workers, specialists and nurses working in these centres and institutions. The department will issue a notification regarding the same next week. While the registration fee for the centres has been kept nominal at Rs 2,000, the registration is free for mental health workers and psychiatrists.
“If the registrations are not done within the specified time frame, strict action will be taken against defaulters,” said health secretary, Dr R Rajesh Kumar.
Dr Mayank Badola, assistant director of state mental health authority, said, “For now, the focus is on registrations and bringing these establishments under the purview of the government. Inspections and adherence to regulations will follow.”
So far, there is no accountability and several law and order issues in the past have given these establishments a notorious reputation.
On April 8, a 24-year-old man was beaten to death by the staff of a de-addiction centre in Patel Nagar where he had been undergoing treatment for a month. His body was dumped outside his house in Clement town.
In another incident, a 32-year-old man, Muad Ali, from Saharanpur died at a drug rehab centre in Dehradun’s Patel Nagar on March 20. The centre claimed that he was “sick and died while undergoing treatment”.
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