SC order to vaccinate patients in mental health facilities is welcome – but more needs to be done

I vividly remember the first time visited a mental hospital in Mumbai. In one room, dozens of people lay on the dirty floor, the stench of urine overpowering the air. The women wore shabby green uniforms, their heads shaved because of the rampant lice. Once they are locked up, their lives are often dominated by isolation, physical violence, forced treatment and verbal abuse, with no hope of escape.

As the pandemic raged across India, I kept wondering how the people with disabilities, in such a context, could have practised physical distancing? How many people died of Covid-19 behind these closed doors? Did anyone get vaccinated? Many questions about the situation of people in mental hospitals and institutions across the country remain unanswered.

Court’s order

On September 1, the Supreme Court expressed “serious concern” about human rights violations in these institutions and ordered states in India to make Covid-19 vaccinations available to everyone detained in a mental health facility and to the staff. By October 15, hospital authorities need to submit a progress report to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment explaining the steps they have taken, including the number of people vaccinated. The ruling also specifically recognises that the rights of people with disabilities in these institutions are being violated…

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