Now, a website where mentally ill can decide on future care

Govt. site to implement advance directive rules under Mental Healthcare Act, 2017

November 21, 2017 12:44 am | Updated 12:44 am IST

Mumbai: The State government is working on a website on which mentally ill patients can give advance directives, as per the new Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. This essentially means a person under treatment for mental illness gets the right to decide how he or she wants to be treated. Even someone who hasn’t been diagnosed with mental illness can provide his choices in advance.

Dr. Sadhana Tayade, joint director, Directorate of Health Services, said work on the website is at a preliminary stage. “We want to create an user-friendly interface. We’re already in the process of creating a szeparate IT cell to manage the website, and applications for the budget have been sent.” She said a 17-member State Mental Health Committee is also being formed. “The committee will consist of six government members; the others will be from various fields. Requests for advance directives will be monitored by this committee.”

According to the new Act, mentally-ill people shall have the right to advance directives, explaining how they want to be treated for the illness, and who their nominated representative shall be. The Act also lays down that the advance directive has to be certified by a medical practitioner, or registered with the Mental Health Board. If a mental health professional or relative or care-giver doesn’t want to follow the directive during treatment, an application can be made to the Mental Health Board to review, alter or cancel the advance directive. Some medical experts feel their time will be consumed by application after application. Also, some term it a tricky clause, as a mentally ill person often feels that people are conspiring against him or her.

Debate continues

Dr. Sagar Mundada, a city-based psychiatrist, feels the option of an advance directive is not a good idea for such patients. “Often, these patients have a preconceived notion of what is right for them, and what isn’t. Some feel medication is not suitable, while some say counselling alone isn’t enough. There are patients who don’t want ECT. even when it can be beneficial.” He said even in a lucid state, such patients may not always be able to take decisions. “Eventually, it may affect the patient’s outcome.” he said. However, Dr. Tayade feels this part of the Act must be implemented.

Shaheeda Kirtane, associate fellow with the Observer Research Foundation, says the challenge in recording and enforcing advance directives comes in creating an integrated health management information system. This would allow everyone with legal rights, including people with mental illness, to record their wishes and instructions on medical treatment, preference of doctors and institutions, and providing this to professionals in charge of health establishments. “This will require collaboration between the Central and State governments for an accessible nationalised mental healthcare IT system,” says Ms. Kirtane.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.