TN govt to vaccinate mentally ill with Covid-19 within 4 weeks: Madras HC

The Tamil Nadu government has been directed by the Madras High Court to vaccinate mentally ill people with Covid-19 within four weeks, and to give a progress report within a week, before the deadline.

The decision was issued by a bench of chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Chennai NGO CHEER demanding efficient execution of the state's mental health policy. The petition requested the identification of homeless persons suffering from mental illnesses, their rehabilitation, and health care services for them, including immunisation.

The court stated that the petition brought attention to the condition of mentally ill people during the epidemic. It went on to say that mobile teams treating individuals with impairments in their homes may also be utilised to immunise the mentally ill.

“It's crucial that a specific vaccination effort be conducted, by using whatever effective measures, to emphasize mentally ill people and guarantee that they get vaccinated,” the court stated.

“Many people are abandoned by their families and walk the streets; these people should be taken care of at the local level, and municipalities, corporations, and panchayats should ensure that such people are given shelter and vaccinated on a priority basis.”

The court ordered that a report be made in this respect when the case is heard again on 2nd August.

“The State will do well to ensure that the urgent requirements of, notably the homeless who are mentally ill, and other mentally ill patients who may be homebound or restricted in their movements, are met in the next four weeks,” the court stated.

“In addition, the State should file its counter-affidavit to the wider features stated in the petition, so that all people who are mentally ill can be provided with the basic human dignity to which they are entitled in due course. And the greater society looks after such vulnerable groups.”