Ernakulam district panchayat to set up specialised care home for mentally challenged, destitute women

KOCHI: The Ernakulam district panchayat is planning to set up a care home for mentally challenged and destitute women in the district.

The proposed specialised residential rehabilitation home, will be set up on a two-acre land owned by the district panchayat at Edakkattuvayal in Piravom, and is envisaged to shelter women, provide them with psychiatric and psychological support, offer vocational training, and eventually help reintegrate them into society.

“Mental health is not given as much importance as it should, and unfortunately, several treatment centres follow primitive methods of caregiving. We often come across many women who have been abandoned by their families, and there is no way for them to return to normal life. These women will be housed here, provided medical care, and required skill training,” said district panchayat president K.G. Radhakrishnan.

The decision was taken at the recently held District Planning Committee meeting, he said. A master plan and DPR for the project will be formulated after a field visit to the location along with other stakeholders, he added.

District Women and Child Development Officer for Ernakulam Jebeen Lolithasain said that the move will help fill the gap that exists in the social health care and justice system.

“While we have different care homes in the public sector, a significant percentage of the women who are given shelter here suffer from psychiatric issues. They require extra care and support, along with specially trained staff to take care of them. Such a specialised home can help reintegrate the women into society,” said Ms. Lolithasain.

The district has four government-run temporary shelter homes and rehabilitation centers, including one Mahila Mandiram and three Shakti Sadan homes. “But we don’t have a dedicated psycho-social rehabilitation centre, and the proposed centre can address this issue,” she said.

The idea is to have a full-time in-house psychologist, along with visiting psychiatrists, to address inmates’ needs. Along with providing training, various therapy centres will be established for holistic healing, which will help integrate the women into society, added Mr. Radhakrishnan.

Along with providing shelter to women, an adjacent facility to provide a home to differently abled children is also under consideration. “At least 100 women can be accommodated in the first phase,” he added.