The Odisha Health Department has determined to depute psychiatric specialists and medical psychologists to varied district jails at the least 4 days in a month. The well being personnel who’ve been assigned duties of visiting the prisons would even be extending de-addiction companies within the prisons.

Officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department stated two separate notifications have been issued on this regard to extending psychological healthcare to jail inmates. Filling up of the backlog of vacancies for the posts of psychiatric specialists and medical psychologists is being carried out frequently, they stated.

Chief district medical officers and public well being officers have been directed to prominently show the helpline variety of the ‘Tele Manas Cell’ for jail inmates to hunt assist relating to psychological well being points.

Meanwhile, the state’s jail administration has proposed the engagement on a contractual foundation the companies of psychiatric social employees as outlined below Section 2 (x) of the Mental Health Care Act, 2017 in Odisha’s jails.

The companies of holders of a postgraduate diploma in medical psychology may be utilised on an identical foundation. Regular medical practitioners holding an MBBS diploma may be skilled within the provision of primary psychological well being care companies by consultants from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). An in depth proposal on this regard is being despatched to the Home Department for its approval, the state Prison Directorate officers stated.

The jail inmates are protected by Jail Manual, 2016 provisions. The handbook mandates the jail authorities to take correct care of the well being of the inmates. Besides, the psychological well being act has additionally made it obligatory to increase psychiatric remedy to prisoners affected by despair or psychological illness, in line with rights activist, Akhand.

There is an acute scarcity of psychological healthcare personnel and counsellors for rendering correct care and a focus to mentally sick inmates. Though the state authorities has begun to depute psychological well being personnel to district jails, psychological healthcare principally eludes prisoners lodged within the sub divisional jails within the State, he added.