Vaccinate mentally ill for Covid-19 within four weeks: Madras HC to TN govt

It added mobile teams vaccinating people with disabilities in their homes can be used for immunising the mentally ill as well

The Madras high court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to get mentally ill people vaccinated for Covid-19 within four weeks and file a status report on the matter a week after the deadline is over.

Madras high court. (HT file photo)

A bench of chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order on Monday in response to a Public Interest Litigation by a Chennai NGO CHEER seeking effective implementation of the state’s mental health policy. The plea sought identification of homeless people with mental illness, their rehabilitation, and health care facilities for them including the vaccination.

The bench said the plea drew attention to the plight of mentally ill patients during the pandemic. It added mobile teams vaccinating people with disabilities in their homes can be used for immunising the mentally ill as well. “It is imperative that a special vaccination drive be undertaken, by whatever means that may be effective, to prioritise mentally ill persons and ensure that they are vaccinated,” the court said. “There are many persons who are abandoned by their families and roam around in the streets, who should be taken care of at the local level, and municipalities, corporations, and panchayats should pay attention that such persons are provided some shelter and are vaccinated on a priority basis.”

The court said a report in this regard should be filed when the matter is heard next on August 2. “The State will do well to ensure that the immediate needs of, particularly the destitute who are mentally ill, are taken care of and the other mentally ill patients who may be homebound or are restricted in their movements are attended to in the next four weeks,” the court said. “The State should also file its counter-affidavit to the larger aspects indicated in the petition so that in due course, all residents of the State who may be mentally ill are accorded the basic human dignity that they are entitled to and the larger society takes care of such vulnerable sections.”