Kerala Mental Health Centres To Be Called 'Institute For Happiness, Wellness'

Kerala's government-run mental health centres are set to get a new identity, with the state finalising the name 'Regional Institute for Happiness and Wellness' for its three major institutions in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode.

The Kerala government informed the High Court on Tuesday that the new name had been finalised following consultations with stakeholders, including medical organisations that had raised objections to an earlier proposal.

The development comes with roots in a case dated back to 1996.

Advocate General K. Jaju Babu told a Division Bench comprising Justices Devan Ramachandran and Basant Balaji that a formal Government Order was being issued. The court has directed the state to place the order on record at the next hearing.

However, the High Court made it clear that changing the names of these institutions was not enough without improving their basic infrastructure and functioning.

The Bench, which had earlier personally inspected all three mental health centres, identified four areas requiring urgent government intervention: construction of boundary walls, appointment of adequate staff, uninterrupted availability of medicines and provision of vehicles to transport food and other essential supplies within the institutions.

The court expressed particular concern over delays in constructing boundary walls, stressing that securing the premises was essential to maintaining institutional integrity.

The Bench warned that contempt proceedings could follow if the government failed to demonstrate tangible progress.

The Advocate General assured the court that medicine supplies had been streamlined and that vehicles were expected to be procured within one or two weeks. He also submitted that boundary wall construction was progressing rapidly.

On the shortage of personnel, the government sought another fortnight, explaining that the newly appointed Health and Family Welfare Secretary needed additional time to examine the relevant files.

The court emphasised that government assurances must translate into concrete action. It expects progress on medicines and vehicles by the next hearing, while an action-taken report on boundary walls and staffing is to be submitted the following Tuesday.

The renaming proposal had earlier triggered objections from the Indian Medical Association and the Indian Psychiatric Society when the government suggested the title 'Happiness and Wellness Centres'. The High Court subsequently allowed both organisations to submit their concerns to the authorities.

The revised name, 'Regional Institute for Happiness and Wellness', was finalised following those consultations.

The proceedings are part of a decades-old judicial intervention dating back to 1996, following directions issued by the Supreme Court in the Sheela Barse case concerning the rights and welfare of persons with mental illness.

The High Court continues to monitor conditions at the three institutions for improving patient welfare, safety and essential facilities must remain the government's immediate priority.