Tripura Govt sets up 'Halfway Home' for mental patients, Helpline for elders
An unfortunate trend of not taking back the mental patient to home after treatment has become a concern – and Tripura Government has set up a Halfway Home for such patients. Besides, the State Government has also introduced facilities aiming to assist senior citizens.
In a programme, a 50-bedded Halfway Home, a helpline for the elders and an official website of Juvenile Justice Fund (JJ Fund) were inaugurated at Narsingarh in Agartala on Monday. Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha inaugurated the facilities.
Dr Saha launched a helpline – 14567 to help and provide advice to the senior citizens. Besides, he inaugurated a 50-bedded halfway home named ‘Shantineer’ and JJ Fund’s official website.
Minister for Social Welfare and Social Education Santana Chakma and other officials were present in the programmes.
Addressing the programme, Dr. Saha said, only medicine is not enough to cure the patients suffering from mental health related issues - they also need counseling.
The tendency of not taking the people recovering from mental issues back home is a mark of decay in social values and it is not desirable by any means.
The Halfway Home has been set up to rehabilitate the people who are facing problems in returning home after recovering from mental illness, Dr. Saha said.
JJ Fund is crucial for children deprived of social justice and also for the children who need special care and protection. Launching of the website of the JJ Fund will help the authority to serve better.
In her speech, Santana Chakma highlighted the major steps taken by her department for the welfare of the Divyangans.
MLA Krishnadhan Das and Director of Social Welfare and Social Education department Dr. Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal were also present.
In the programme, the Chief Minister handed over Chief Minister’s Meritorious Awards to two students who topped the Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations among the Divyangans. Besides, several other Divyang students were awarded.