The Beggars’ Colony on Magadi Road lies neglected, with rising numbers of mentally unstable inmates.
The Beggars’ Colony on Magadi Road lies neglected, with rising numbers of mentally unstable inmates.
Of the 347 inmates at the centre, about 152 are said to be suffering from various mental illnesses.
The government, on its part, doesn’t seem to worry about these inmates, with not much investment going into their treatment.
Only solace for the inmates is the visit by a team of Nimhans (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) doctors and paramedical staff.
The team comprising four psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurses, visits the patients on first and third Thursdays of each month. They first review the new inmates and then the older inmates.
The three in-house doctors in the colony follow the prescriptions and advice given by the Nimhans team, and in case of emergencies, contact the team through telephone.
Wing Commander Prof JW Sabhaney, senior consultant psychiatrist, advisor to the Medico Pastoral Association, said, “Weekly rounds need to be done by psychiatrists in the colony. And there are patients with acute disorders who need daily attention.”
“It seems that the needs of nearly 46% of the population at the colony are not completely met,” he said.
Dr Kishore Kumar, who heads the medical team, said, “Of course what we are doing is not enough. But, with no help from either the government or NGOs, nobody is showing interest in the inmates. We are doing the best we can with our available resources. Every patient is managed and taken care of. There is still a lot more to be done.”
While the colony has always been understaffed, the government did increase the medical staff after the mass deaths of the inmates in August last.Kumar said, “In order to give adequate medical care for even the most stable patients the government needs to invest more money. Staff strength also need to be increased.”
Stating that the government medical colleges as well as the state mental health professionals need to set aside more time and money for the colony, he said, “Trying to take care of sick people is probably not on the government’s agenda right now.”
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