Kuthiravattam mental health centre pins hopes on master plan

A major issue facing the facility is staff shortage, especially in the security section

Kuthiravattam is synonymous in popular culture with two things: the late versatile actor Pappu and the Government Mental Health Centre.

Set up in 1872 as the ‘Lunatic Asylum of Calicut’ to rehabilitate mentally ill men from the British Indian Army, the institution has been in the news of late for wrong reasons. At least five inmates have attempted to escape or escaped from the premises in just two weeks. A woman inmate from Maharashtra was found dead after an altercation with another inmate.

Subsequent visits by government officials, judicial officers as well as the Kerala State Human Rights Commission and the Kerala Women’s Commission have flagged lapses that should be corrected to put the house in order.

One of the main issues is staff shortage, especially in the security section. Sources said though there were 480 inmates at the centre, including 170 women, there are only four security staff to protect them. All of them are temporary workers. There are no women security guards at all.

Of the 314 permanent posts, 29 are vacant. They include nurses and nursing assistants. Though 30 attenders are required in the daily care of inmates, there are only 13. Around 10 staff will retire in the coming months. Interviews have been scheduled for Thursday after the Kerala High Court directed the Health department to urgently appoint at least eight security staff at the centre.

Another issue is poor infrastructure. The existing compound wall is not tall and strong enough. Many buildings are old and dilapidated, making it easy for inmates to tamper with them in their bid to escape. There are around 40 inmates who have been cured of illness, but are unable to go back because their families are reluctant to accept them. Of the total number of inmates, 180 are from other States, and the whereabouts of some of them are unclear.

A legislature panel that visited the institution in 2016 had recommended that more clerical and Grade-II staff, including four more security staff, be appointed.