The Mental Health Legislation (MHL) draft that ensures treatment for the mentally ill persons and protects their human rights and right to property is now complete.
The MHL draft committee has submitted the draft to the World Health Organisation.
The draft also provides for a three-member committee to safeguard property owned by the mentally ill persons.
According to the draft, another three-member team of specialists will be formed where patients could challenge the certification by a doctor after six months of their treatment and prove that they are no longer 'mentally ill.'
Dr Kapil Prasad Upadhayaya, the coordinator of the drafting committee said that the draft would be submitted to the Health Ministry after incorporating suggestions from the World Health Organisation.
"Though the National Mental Health Policy-1996 exists, it does not have the Mental Health Legislation due to which persons having mental health problems are deprived of basic rights," Dr Upadhyaya said. "The new legislation will address these problems."
The committee submitted the final draft to the WHO nearly three weeks ago.
A sub-committee formed in 1999 could not submit the draft due to the dissolution of the Parliament.
The draft defines the roles of family members, the local administration and the government in the protection of the mentally ill persons.
The government has till date only provided treatment and programmes have to be expanded and reformed, the draft states on the government's role.
The seven-member committee is headed by Dr Kapil Prasad Upadhyaya and has Dr Dhruba Man Shrestha, advocate Sapana Pradhan Malla, advocate Rishi Raj Bhandari, advocate Tika Ram Pandey, Krishna Bahadur Katwal and Janaki KC as members.
Around 30 per cent of the total population of the country has one or more types of mental illness, while there are only 30 psychiatrists working in the country, according to the Health Ministry. -
The Himalayan Times
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