The Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital, Agali, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its community mental health programme (CMHP) here on Sunday.
Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) Vice Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal inaugurated the celebrations. Dr. Mohanan described the Mission Hospital’s CMHP as one worth emulating by the State. Delivering the keynote address, K. S. Shaji, head of the Department of Psychiatry at Government Medical College, Thrissur, praised the hospital for reaching out to the Adivasi communities of Attappady and offering them mental health support after conducting scientific studies.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) former State president C.K. Chandrasekharan presided over the function. Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission chief medical officer V. Narayanan welcomed the gathering.
The Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission started the community mental health programme in 2019 with the support of the Government Medical College, Thrissur, to help the tribespeople of Attappady. It was poet Sugathakumari who inaugurated the programme. Kochi-based Mental Health Care and Research (Mehac) Foundation too joined hands with the Vivekananda Medical Mission to reach out to the tribespeople.
Dr. Narayanan, while welcoming the gathering, said out of the 300 patients who registered at the hospital, 225 had acute mental health issues.
“Most of them have returned to normal life after having been given treatment,” he said. The treatment for the Adivasis is free.
