Regional Mental Hospital (also known as Yerwada Mental Hospital) is a psychiatric hospital located in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

. It is one of the largest mental hospitals in Asia.

Controversy and criticisms

Bribery by official

In December 2004, ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'' reported that a ''

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

''working for Yerwada Mental Hospital had bribed a person associated with the ''Director General of Police''. It was alleged that Govind Vaidya issued fitness certificates for bribes. This was captured by an undercover operation held in July 2000. To stall the investigation, he then bribed an official Rs. 30,000 (500 US$). The raid by the police department into his house resulted in the seizure of Rs. 274,000 (4500 $US).

Poor condition and quality of care

The quality of care offered by the hospital is poor. The compound has a 100-year-old drainage system and has erratic water supply. This led to some defecating patients to wipe with their clothes. The quality of uniform worn by the patients are also poor.

Alleged rape by staff

In October 2013, it was reported that a female patient who had been involuntarily committed into the institution was raped by hospital staff. Four individuals were arrested. The director of the hospital refuted the allegations. The patient was taken into care by a non-governmental organization shortly after she filed the complaint.

Mental illness among long-term staff

In October 2013, '' Daily News & Analysis'' reported that some staff who worked at the hospital for a long period developed mental illness such as schizophrenia and psychosis. These individuals were kept under the care of the hospital psychiatrists. A representative from the hospital also stated that monthly check-ups were being conducted to prevent the occurrence of mental illness among staff members. An independent psychiatrist commented that the demand to show empathy to their patients can result in burnout within a couple of years. This was bad in the name of hospital, even though it is one of the largest hospital in Asia .

References

External links

* {{authority control Mental health organisations in India Psychiatric hospitals in India Year of establishment missing Hospitals in Pune