VIJAYAWADA: To celebrate Independence Day in its true sense on August 15, Vijayawada Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS) at Suryaraopet, run by psychiatrist Indla Ramasubba Reddy and his son Vishal Indla, will host a special camp on the hospital premises.

The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. medical camp, being organised with the slogan ‘Freedom from alcohol', will include free consultation, distribution of medicines, counselling and an awareness programme. Those interested in availing themselves of the medical services offered at the camp must get their names enrolled by contacting 2442174 or 9032664724 by 9 a.m. on August 15.

Commissioner of Income Tax, Vijayawada, K. Ajay Kumar will inaugurate the camp.

The camp was mainly for people who were desperate to shun alcohol but find themselves helpless, said Dr. Ramasubba Reddy at a press conference on Friday. Depending on the intensity of the problem, the addicted person will be kept under observation at the hospital for a couple of weeks to treat the physical harm caused due to alcohol consumption. Then the person will be put on anti-craving drugs that trigger an aversion for alcohol. The focus will then shift to making the individual lead a normal life, he said.

The ‘patients' would be under the protective wings of a team of doctors including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers and counsellors.

The ‘de-addiction' doctors' team will be headed by Dr. Vishal, who has studied the latest methods of dealing with the problem in reputable institutions.

‘Chronic diseases impact mental health'
VIJAYAWADA: A physically sound person cannot be considered healthy if he or she is ‘not' mentally sound. This is said very clearly in the revised definition of health by the World Health Organisation (WHO) “No health without mental health,” said VIMHANS director Vishal Indla.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion of the World Mental Health Day (October 10) here on Sunday, Dr. Vishal and Indian Psychiatry Society Vijayawada chapter president R.K. Ayodhya said that the theme for the World Mental Health Day this year was ‘Mental health and chronic diseases: need for continued, integrated care'.

Dr. Vishal said the World Federation for Mental Health listed cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory disorders and obesity as the chronic health disorders that had an impact on the mental health of the patients. Many of the so-called multi speciality hospitals do not have a psychiatry wing equipped to deal with the needs of patients being treated for these chronic ailments, he said. According to the World Federation of Mental Health statistics, cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disorders cause 60 per cent deaths.

Staff shortage

Dr. Vishal said that there was an acute shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists in the country. While one lakh psychiatrists and psychologists were needed in the country, there were only 4,000. Ironically there were 10,000 psychiatrists and psychologists of Indian-origin in the United States, he said.

VIMHANS aiming at D.N.B recognition

Though the demand for medical specialists is increasing each year, only a few are being churned out to meet the growing needs of people

The Vijayawada Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS), formerly Prashanti Hospital, will soon begin courses to churn out specialist psychiatrists with post-graduate qualification. It is all set to develop into a destination for medicos wanting to pursue higher studies and research under the leadership of noted psychiatrist Indla Ramasubba Reddy.

The institute, which provides under its roof memory, brain and such special clinics, is said to be unique in the coastal region and is in the process of getting recognition from the Diplomate National Board (D.N.B.) to offer three-year courses to those having MBBS qualification.

Dr. Ramasubba Reddy wants to develop the VIMHANS into a quality study and research destination. In doing so, he wants to involve fully his son Indla Vishal Reddy, who has an MD and D.N.B. qualification from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore.

Expensive :

No one disputes that private medical education is the costliest of all. At a time when studying a PG course on a private campus runs into Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 lakhs, not many can afford and it is certainly important to find new ways to make up for the gap. What is increasingly felt is the need to produce more specialist doctors with a PG qualification.

Though the demand for medical specialists is increasing each year, very few are being churned out to meet the growing needs of people. In specialties like psychiatry and cardiology, the requirement is felt even more. For the first time, the VIMHANS is seeking recognition to offer D.N.B. course at its premises in the city from the 2007-`08 academic year. The three-year course will be offered to produce two to three specialist psychiatrists.

VMHANS director Ramasubba Reddy says that the D.N.B. course will help in filling the gap between the demand and availability of specialist psychiatrists. He points out that there are only 3,500 qualified psychiatrists in the country. In the State, there are just 150. "When compared to the West, we have 30 times less number of psychiatrists," he adds.

Stating that the board is promoting all efforts to produce medical specialists, Dr. Ramasubba Reddy says that the VIMHANS has applied for the D.N.B. recognition and it is expected to get the green signal soon. M.D seats in Government medical colleges are not enough to meet the general demand. On the other hand, the M.D. in psychiatry offered at a private college is very costly. Under these circumstances, the D.N.B. has come as a viable route to produce the required specialists.

Dr. Ramsubba Reddy said a child guidance clinic would also be started to deal with behavioural problems in children. Dr. Reddy said Panchayat Raj minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy, Mayor Mallika Begum, MP Lagadapati Rajgopal, MLAs Nasar Vali, Vangaveeti Radha Krishna, Devineni Rajasekhar and others would attend the celebrations, he said.