A few days after it was discovered that 11 mentally-ill inmates died in just two months at the Asha Kiran Home run by the Delhi government, it has been revealed that it was not just the inmates who were living in unhygienic conditions, but also the staff at the home who have become victims of several diseases.
The unhygienic surroundings at the Asha Kiran Home have affected the staff members as well who have been hit by diseases like tuberculosis, chickenpox, pneumonia and various respiratory and skin infections. A few caretakers stay at the home where there are no basic medical facilities available to them, DNA reported.
The home is majorly short on staff due to which the staff members spend several hours with the inmates making them prone to diseases as well. Their salaries and the facilities, including food, that are available to those who work round the clock are such that much of the staff resigned from the job within the first month of their service.
Asha Kiran Home has nearly 900 mentally-ill inmates when it has a sanctioned strength of only 350. Eleven patients have already died in two months. The autopsy revealed that chronic starvation and protein-energy malnutrition caused the deaths of the inmates. Doctors said that the inmates were suffering from congested liver, spleen, and kidneys, conditions that are caused by limited intake of food. Five inmates died at the home after having suffered for months while six died during treatment at the Baba Saheb Ambedkar (BSA) hospital in Delhi, where the dead bodies were sent for post-mortem.
"Five of them were gravely ill and were still not taken to the hospital. The post of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the home has been lying vacant for a long time now. The callous attitude of the administration led to these deaths. These five inmates could have been saved if they had received timely treatment," an official at Asha Kiran told DNA.
According to DNA, the staff also claimed that a few members lost their lives over the past years following terminal illness.
"Many of us work 24x7. There are about 500 kids at the children's ward. They are all separated based on various grounds, like age and illness, so that individual care can be provided to them. Many of these children are victims of tuberculosis, HIV, pneumonia, and respiratory and skin infections. Some of these diseases are communicable and we, who have to stay with these unwell kids, face the risk of contracting the infections," a worker told DNA.
He added that despite having masks and gloves, it is impossible to use them all the time.
"These kids require immediate attention. We can't keep wearing gloves and masks round the clock. Even while sleeping or eating, we often need to rush to help or assist these kids. Such precautions cannot always be enforced," the worker said.
"There is no medical service available for us at the centre. We are paid about Rs 9,000 a month. This is not enough to get good treatment for ourselves. All we get is a place to sleep and daily meals, which are again a disappointment," another worker told DNA.
According to the staff, most of the children at the home have never seen their parents after they were dropped off there. "Most of the kids have started calling us 'papa' or 'maa'. When they feel alienated and call out the names of their parents, it is always us who rush to them. This has made them believe that we are their family," they said.
Staff members also added that many join the home in an attempt to serve the society but they quit due to the poor maintenance of the centre, filthy surroundings and degraded services and facilities.
Asha Kiran Home, which provides shelter to mentally-ill women and children, has been under the scanner over the past few years. An RTI query revealed that at least 142 patients lost their lives at the home from 2012 to 2015.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had issued a notice to the Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, after panel Chief Swati Maliwal and other staff members, inspected the home and found out about the death of the 11 inmates in two months.
The DCW also found lapses like filthy living conditions, overcrowding, unhygienic surroundings and lack of proper medical care facilities, from the side of the home authorities.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Santosh Kumar told DNA: "We have carried out the inquest proceedings in connection with the deaths at Asha Kiran. The final report is yet to come out. Things would be clearer after that."
