Vaccinate Mentally Ill Patients On Priority Across The State: Madras High Court To Tamil Nadu Govt

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Government to ensure that a special vaccination drive be undertaken to prioritize mentally ill persons and that they are vaccinated.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy was hearing a plea seeking direction on the respondent authorities to effectively implement the State mental health policy.

"Though the policy is spelt out in four lines, it is of wide amplitude and covers the entire gamut of the needs of mentally ill persons," observed the Court.

The bench noted that the State, like the rest of the country, is recovering from the deadly second surge of the pandemic and that there is a lot of work immediately necessary for the Government to provide relief and rehabilitate persons who have families which have lost their bread earners and persons whose businesses have been completely devastated or persons who have lost jobs in the private sector.

"It is, however, necessary that just like the special drive was undertaken by the State to protect persons with disabilities, a similar measure be adopted for persons who are mentally ill, who may be home bound, or may not be aware of the need to protect themselves," added the Court.

The Court suggested to the Government that its policy of having mobile teams travel to persons with disabilities rather than make such disadvantaged persons come to centers may be adopted in case of mentally ill patients.

The Court also took into account the fact that there are many persons who are abandoned by their families and roam around in the streets, who should be taken care of at the local level, and municipalities, corporations, and panchayats should pay attention that such persons are provided some shelter and are vaccinated on a priority basis.

The Government has also been directed that the immediate needs of, particularly the destitute who are mentally ill, are taken care of and the other mentally ill patients who may be homebound or are restricted in their movements are attended to in the next four weeks.

The Court has also called for a report in such regard when the matter appears next, five weeks hence.

Lastly, the Court also directed the State to file its counter-affidavit to the larger aspects regarding all the residents of the State who may be mentally ill are accorded the basic human dignity that they are entitled to and the larger society takes care of such vulnerable section.

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