Shelters are not the solution to the problems of the homeless; they should be the beginning of a new journey for them to rebuild their lives, Harsh Mander, Centre for Equity Studies, said here on Thursday.
Speaking at a symposium on ‘Mental Health and Inclusive Development’ organised by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences at The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health, he said that there was a need to recognise the continuum of health, livelihood and housing for the homeless.
There are different reasons why men and women are homeless. A majority of men are on the streets so that they can look after their families and what they need are working men’s hostels. Women are outside almost entirely due to extreme violence and they need safe shelters, he said.
Chairman of Kasturi and Sons Ltd. N. Ram said that India's expenditure on public health (1 per cent of the GDP) was among the lowest in the world and that 80 per cent of health expenditure was out of pocket and that hit the lower and middle classes badly. He called for an increase in budgetary expenses for health.
Nachiket Mor, CARE, Reserve Bank of India, said that there was a need for getting basic health care at the primary and community level itself instead of escalating it to a higher level. Unless a rapid shift is made in the health care system, the economic growth achieved would not result in anything, he added.
Earlier, The Banyan's founder Vandana Gopikumar was appointed chair professor by TISS. In her inaugural professorial lecture, she said that the World Health Organisation has established a direct link between poverty and mental illness, and 70 per cent of India's population lives on less than $ 2 a day. And, many of these persons do not have access to care, especially those who are homeless. The Banyan has, over the years, reached out to hundreds of persons but only 40 per cent of them continue to stay well.
TISS director S. Parasuraman, TISS registrar C.P. Mohankumar, Vikram Patel, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Sanjeev Jain of NIMHANS spoke.
Harsh Mander of the Centre for Equity Studies talked about how shelters should be a new beginning for the homeless
