A petition filed before the Delhi High Court has sought initiation of contempt proceedings over the non-filling of over 75% vacant posts of doctors and healthcare workers at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).
The petition filed by advocate Amit Sahni said that the IHBAS, a premier mental health and neurosciences institute of the country, has been suffering from acute shortage of doctors and healthcare workers.
Mr. Sahni said that over 75% posts of doctors and health workers are vacant at the IHBAS and hence, patients with psychiatric and clinical psychological disorder have been suffering since long due to acute shortage of medical and other staffers.
“This post-pandemic landscape will be a breeding ground for an increase in chronic stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and self-harm,” Mr. Sahni had said.
“With such widespread rise in the number of cases of mental disorder patients, it is immensely crucial to have adequate psychiatrists and other staffers to deal with such kind of situation,” he added.
He said that this vacancy has continued despite an order of the Delhi High Court in September last year directing the IHBAS to fill up vacancies of faculty and staffers as early as possible.
Mr. Sahni, also a social activist, said he made a representation to the government for tackling shortage of staffers at the IHBAS, but to his knowledge, no action has been taken.
“The IHBAS lost its NABH [National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers] for several issues, including non-promotion of existing faculty staffers, shortage of manpower in scientific faculty department etc.,” his plea said.
The plea cited a National Mental Health Survey report in 2015-2016, according to which, in 2012 India had recorded over 2,58,000 suicides, with the age group of 15-49 being the most-affected. It also stated that one in twenty Indians suffers from depression and nearly 15% Indian adults need active intervention for one or more mental health issues, the plea said.
