Mental Health Authority to probe death at de-addiction centre

The Karnataka State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA) will inquire into the death of Arif Ahmed Khan, a coconut vendor, at a de-addition centre in Yelahanka New Town.

According to the police, the staff at Sri Sai Deenabandhu Foundation Rehabilitation Centre had allegedly beaten Khan to death on January 19.

KSMHA has initiated the inquiry suo motu based on newspaper reports.

This is the second time the Authority is inquiring into a de-addiction centre suo motu, since its establishment in 2020.

A senior officer at KSMHA said that a two-member inspection team is being formed.

The team will look at the centre’s records and infrastructure, along with details of the incident. The Authority can take action against the centre as per the Mental Health Act, 2017 and the Karnataka Mental Healthcare Rules, 2021, he said.

All de-addiction centres in the state are supposed to have taken provisional registration under KSMHA. “If the centre is not registered, the owner can be fined Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 as per Section 107 of the Act. A mental health professional, who works with the knowledge that the centre is unregistered, can be fined Rs 25,000,” the official said.

For other violations, like cruelty to the patient, the owner can be fined Rs 10,000 or imprisoned for up to six months, as per Section 108. For subsequent offences, the penalty can range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh or imprisonment up to two years.

The centre should also have complied with minimum standards in terms of beds, toilets, etc.

Poorly run

The officer said that many de-addiction centres are poorly run.

“The owners and staff are often not professionally trained and the centre won’t be run based on scientific principles. Physical abuse is common, but we get no complaints because people believe that’s the right method of treatment.”

“Many families leave their patients at private centres because there the patient can stay alone for three months whereas government centres usually require a family member to stay with them, which is not possible for many. Private de-addiction centres are also cheaper compared to private hospitals,” he added.

Lack of personnel

Once the inspection team submits its report along with the owner’s explanation, KSMHA will discuss it in its meeting, issue a show-cause notice to the owner and then decide on the penalty. But the process takes longer as the authority doesn’t have dedicated personnel for inspections.

Since 2020, KSMHA has inquired into seven other de-addiction centres for issues like overcrowding, lack of facilities and abuse.

In two cases the authority has discussed inspection reports, but not in the other five. Other than the time taken for inspections, a barrier is that the authority - which has around 30 official and non-official members - meets only four times a year, the officer said.

Khan’s family also has the option of approaching the Mental Health Review Board, chaired by a retired district judge. The Board has powers to conduct hearings and impose penalties on the centre, the official said.