THEIR strong will to work for the mentally challenged destitutes has finally crossed the legal hurdle. Now, two Magsaysay awardees, Dr Bharat Vatwani, founder trustee of Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation, which has been working for the cause of mentally ill and destitutes, and ‘Padma Shri’ Dr Prakash Amte have come together to help the city psychiatrists succeed in their endeavour to provide better health care to mentally challenged destitutes. Dr Amte has made available the place at Ashok Van along Wardha Road to run the project while Dr Vatwani’s Shraddha Foundation will help in establishing and running the centre.

 

Long ago, Dr Ashish Bhattad, the then President of Psychiatrists Society of Nagpur (PSN), had thought of starting such a centre. But the idea could not beconverted into reality becauseof some legal issues. Now, under the presidentship of Dr Nikhil Pande, the association, finally, couldsucceed in setting up the centre which will be inauguratedat 11 am on Sunday at AshokVan in presence of Dr Amteand Dr Vatwani. “There are a lot of issues withmentally challenged destitutes. Due to illiteracy and no family support, such personsremain untreated. Due to themental ailment, these peoplehave low intelligence quotientdue to which they are not ableto tell their identity, their residential address. Most of themare totally lost, their languagesmight be different. Dr Vatwani in his attempt to treat suchpeople cured hundreds of people who reunited with families.

 

The foundation is doing this work in collaboration with three states n a m e l y - - O d i s h a , Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra so it takes the cases of people from these states,” explained Dr Pande. During the programme, some 20 persons from different States who got cured are to be sent to their respective States.These patients are mostly from poor background who are left alone by their families mostly at railway station or bus stands in other states. The centre at Nagpur will handle the part of transition of patients also after their recovery.There are several places where mentally ill patients are treated in Nagpur but those are full. At Ashok Van, Dr Amte has provided huge place where wards have been planned for the patients’ stay. They will stay till they get cured. In many cases families don’t accept them. In such cases centre again accommodates them. “But our main concern is finding the patients and treating them. Dr Vatwani has done yeoman’s work in this particular sector so we will get a lot of support from him. We psychiatrists will go to the centre and treat the patients,” said Dr Pande. their