IHBAS best institution, not to be ruined due to shortage of medical staff: HC


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 01-03-2021 18:15 IST | Created: 01-03-2021 18:15 IST
IHBAS best institution, not to be ruined due to shortage of medical staff: HC
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IHBAS, a mental health establishment, is one of the best institutes here which should be maintained and not ruined due to shortage of medical staff, the Delhi High Court Monday observed while asking the authorities to fill the vacancies soon.

The high court was assured by counsel for the Delhi government that much progress will be made in two months and asked the authorities to file compliance report by the end of April.

Justice Najmi Waziri issued notices to the Delhi government and Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and sought their responses on a plea seeking contempt action against the authorities for their alleged wilful disobedience to the direction of a division bench of the hight court which had directed them to tackle the issue of shortage of doctors at the institute.

The division bench in its September 1 last year order had said it expects that the concerned authorities shall fill up the vacancies as early as possible and practicable.

The high court was hearing the contempt petition filed by social activist and lawyer Amit Sahni who said that over 75 per cent of posts of doctors and medical staff are lying vacant at IHBAS due to which the patients with psychiatric and clinical psychological disorder have been suffering since long.

Referring to news reports, he said that out of the total strength of 103 faculty/ doctors, IHBAS was operating with 25 faculty members only.

Due to the shortage of doctors and medical staff, even the Head of the Departments are constrained to perform the duties of the Assistant Professors, the plea said.

During the hearing, Justice Waziri said "IHBAS is one of the best institutions we have but it should not be found lacking by the shortage of medical staff. Let's maintain it and not ruin it." The high court asked advocate Anjum Javed, representing the Delhi government, to put it across to the Chief Secretary that it be done by the end of April.

Javed assured the court that much progress will be made in these two months. He also informed the court that the Chief Secretary himself heads a committee which is to put in place the requisite faculty and personnel of the institution and to ensure it runs smoothly in public interest.

The court said, "Eight weeks time is good enough for you. Do something, have it done. Lets have it done'' and listed the matter for further hearing on May 18.

Advocate Tushar Sannu, representing IHBAS administration, said they were not treating the petition as an adversarial litigation and though there has been a delay, they have segregated the applications for the vacant posts.

Sahni, in his plea, said he has made a representation to the authorities on August 5, 2020, requesting them to do the needful to fill up the pending vacancies of faculty and other medical staff at IHBAS but they have not acted upon it.

He said he had earlier filed the petition before the division bench to fill the pending vacancies of doctors/ faculty and medical staff at IHBAS in order to tackle the rampant rise in psychiatric and psychological cases in the country more effectively and efficiently.

"IHBAS lost its NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers) for several issues, including non-promotion of existing faculty staffers, shortage of manpower in scientific faculty department etc,'' the plea said.

It referred to a National Mental Health Survey report in 2015-2016, according to which, in 2012 India had recorded over 2,58,000 suicides, with the age group of 15-49 being the most-affected. It also stated that one in 20 Indians suffers from depression and nearly 15 per cent Indian adults need active intervention for one or more mental health issues.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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