SC agrees to hear plea on non-availability of essential drugs for treatment of mental illness

Supreme Court Friday sought responses from Centre, states and Union Territory (UTs) on a plea alleging n-availability of essential medicines for treatment of mental illness in government run or funded health care centres.

A bench heed by Chief Justice S A Bobde agreed to hear plea which has sought direction to authorities to forthwith tify essential drugs list in ir states and UTs and provide medicines free of cost to persons suffering from mental illness.

“Issue tice,” said bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

plea, filed by vocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, said that Union Health Ministry h written a letter in August last year to all states and UTs wherein list of psychorapeutic drugs/medicines was attached and a request was me to ensure that se medicines be me available at various health care facilities.

“It is a matter of shame that after 73 years of Independence, poor patients of our country who are suffering from mental illness are t getting essential drugs as specified by Central Mental Health Authority for treatment of ir mental illness,” plea claimed.

Bansal referred to provisions of Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and said it provides right for free medicine to persons with mental illness all times at health establishments starting from community health centres and urds in public health system.

petitioner said after Union Health Ministry’s August last year letter to states and UTs, he h filed applications under Right to Information Act seeking information regarding status of implementation of a provision of 2017 Act.

provision of Act provides that authority shall tify essential drugs list and all medicines on list be me available free of cost to all persons with mental illness at all times at health establishments run or funded by government.

plea claimed that as per RTI replies, petitioner has come to kw that many states and UTs have violated provision of 2017 Act and those suffering from mental illness and belonging to BPL category are unable to get medicines from government run or funded health establishments.

plea alleged that as per reply provided by Maharashtra, “it is crystal clear that Maharashtra state is t providing essential drugs in accordance with essential drugs list tification issued by Central Mental Health Authority”.

“Similarly, in case of state of Uttar Presh, applicant has learnt that mentally ill persons are t getting drugs as prescribed under essential drugs list because of reason that since last one year, state of Uttar Presh has t been able to finalize its state essential drugs list,” plea alleged.

Im Credits: PTI