Delhi HC tells IHBAS to fill up vacancies for medical and faculty members’ posts

Rise in psychiatric, psychological cases should be tackled: plea

The petitioner said post-COVID-19 time will see more cases of stress, anxiety, depression

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) to recruit faculty members and medical staffers to fill up vacancies at the institute as early as possible.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued the direction after the institute’s counsel, Tushar Sannu, said an advertisement was issued on Tuesday for recruiting 45 faculty members.

The court was hearing a petition moved by advocate Amit Sahni, seeking filling up of vacancies at IHBAS in order to tackle the alleged “rampant rise in psychiatric and psychological cases in the country more effectively and efficiently”.

Mr. Sahni, also a social activist, had claimed in his plea that patients with psychiatric disorders or those who require clinical psychological treatment are suffering due to acute shortage of medical and other employees at IHBAS.

“This post-COVID-19 landscape will be a breeding ground for an increase in chronic stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and self-harm,” Mr. Saini said.

“With such widespread rise in the number of cases of mental disorder, it is immensely crucial to have adequate psychiatrists and other medical staffers to deal with the situation,” he added.