T.N. government would like to take Home Again programmes for mentally ill to all districts: Chief Secretary

The Tamil Nadu government is currently studying the impact of the Home Again programme run by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) The Banyan, in collaboration with the government, and in partnership with other NGOs, in five districts. Based on this, it would like to take the programme to all districts in the State, said Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam.

Speaking at an event held to launch an impact report of the Emergency Care and Recovery Centre (ECRC) and Home Again programmes, on Saturday, he said halfway home initiatives were also being run, supported by the Department for the Welfare of the Differently Abled, and the impact of these were also being studied.

Mr. Muruganandam said the government was ensuring that residents of all homes for the mentally ill were being provided with services such as Aadhaar cards, pensions, ration cards, and priority was being given to them for housing and skill training.

He highlighted the importance of the need to focus on mental healthcare in the backdrop of the rising incidence of mental illness across the country, especially in a highly urbanised State such as Tamil Nadu, which also has a rising ageing population.

Earlier, during a panel discussion on sustainability and bridging care gaps, Supriya Sahu, Environment and Forests Secretary, stressed the need for continuity of funding and community engagement in order to be able to ensure sustainability for any initiative, including the ECRC programme. J. Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director, TNEB, and Chairman, TNPGCL, underscored the need for attention during disasters during which vulnerable people were more affected.

P. Senthil Kumar, Health Secretary, said 32 districts had functional ERCR and seven more were in the pipeline, highlighting the challenges of mobilising resources and the need for further strengthening of systems. Speaking during a previous panel discussion M. Lakshmi, Commissioner for Welfare of the Differently Abled said the Home Again programme had helped reunite several people with their families, while many more had managed to find livelihood opportunities and reintegrate into society.

Archana Padmakar, chief executive officer, The Banyan, speaking on the impact report, noted the creation of 1,091 beds over five years for the homeless mentally ill, 138 Home Again houses across the country, and, significantly, the fact that 50% of those who accessed these services had gone back to their families, with re-admission rate being only 2%. She noted that a large number of those accessing the services had multiple co-morbidities including HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes, and suffered from malnutrition. She also highlighted The Banyan’s focus on smaller being better — smaller units, moving from custodial to community care, and patient-centric care.

The event also saw awards being presented to civil society organisations and government officials running ECRC and Home Again centres across the districts. Former Chief Secretary of Kerala, S.M. Vijayanand, Darez Ahmed, MD and CEO of GuidanceTN, Arun Thamburaj, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, and M. Malaiappan, Director, Institute of Mental Health, were among those who participated.