Tripura Mental Health Authority issues notices to 19 unregistered private rehab centres
Agartala
Tripura’s State Mental Health Authority has issued show-cause notices to 19 unauthorised private rehabilitation centres for allegedly operating without mandatory registration and failing to comply with prescribed standards under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, Health Department officials said on Sunday.
A senior Health Department official said that two separate show-cause notices were issued on September 9, as these organisations were accused of providing treatment and rehabilitation services to persons with mental illness and drug addiction without valid registration or permission under the Mental Healthcare Act. In the first notice, the Swapna Foundation at Ujan Abhoynagar in Agartala was accused of operating a mental health centre or rehabilitation facility without registration from the competent authority. The notice also referred to allegations that the health of patients had been adversely affected. The organisation has been asked to submit its reply within seven days of receiving the notice and explain why action should not be taken against it under the relevant provisions of the Act. The authority also warned that if no satisfactory reply is received within the stipulated period or if the organisation fails to cooperate with the investigation, appropriate action would be taken against it unilaterally. In the second notice, 18 other organisations were accused of providing treatment and rehabilitation services to persons with mental illness and drug addiction without valid registration or permission under the Act.
Under Section 65(1) of the Act, operating any mental health establishment or rehabilitation centre without registration from the competent authority is illegal. The 18 organisations have also been asked to submit their replies within seven days of receiving the notices and explain why action should not be initiated against them under the relevant provisions of the Act. The authority warned that failure to provide a satisfactory response within the stipulated period or failure to cooperate with the investigation would invite unilateral action against the organisations. The Health Department said that registration is mandatory for all rehabilitation centres operating in Tripura under the Mental Healthcare Act, and all such centres and mental health establishments in the state are required to operate in accordance with 12 regulations prescribed by the authority under the Act. These include safety measures, food quality, prescribed room dimensions, disability-friendly facilities, biomedical safety and several other essential requirements.
It had been observed that many centres were not complying with these regulations, thereby raising concerns over the safety of patients and violation of their rights, the department said, and, therefore, show-cause notices have been issued to centres that have failed to obtain mandatory registration and comply with prescribed standards and quality norms The department further said that if such centres fail to take corrective measures within the stipulated period, necessary action would be initiated against them in accordance with the Act. Tripura Police earlier this month arrested eight people, including the owner of a private drug de-addiction centre, in connection with the alleged assault and death of a youth. The arrested persons include Swapna Foundation Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre owner Shubham Biswas and several staff members, a police official had said. According to police, Shahana Das Bhattacharjee lodged a complaint at the NCC police station on August 16, alleging that her husband, Tuhinsubhra Bhattacharjee, was assaulted at the centre, where he had been admitted on August 9. He was taken to Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
