PANAJI
The Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) at Bambolim is operating at full capacity, with in patient rosters showing beds filled and new admissions arriving daily prompting the government to propose a new 200 bed hospital at the Bambolim campus to ease the load.
Doctors and officials warn that Goa could be facing a deepening mental health crisis as the State’s only psychiatric hospital struggles to cope.
A resident medical officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strain.
“In patient beds are always full. At times we are forced to make ‘fit for discharge’ recommendations for some patients who are improving with treatment,” the doctor said.
Under the Mental Health law, discharge of patients is not automatic. Recommendations by attending doctors must be endorsed by the State Mental Health Authority, which includes ex officio and non official members and is headed by Judge Ashley Noronha.
The hospital currently has 190 beds. It also runs a day care facility and an Out Patient Department (OPD) that provides preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services.
The in patient facilities include five male wards, four female wards, and separate wards for patients referred from prisons.
Officials in the State health ministry admitted the system is under severe strain. They pointed to expansion plans already in progress. A new 200 bed hospital is proposed at the Bambolim campus to ease the load.
“The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee has accorded its environmental nod for the project. A final clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is now awaited,” the senior official said.
The project will be executed by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation and officials described the proposal as being in an advanced stage of planning and execution.
Mental health professionals say the overcrowding reflects both rising awareness and increasing stress factors in society.
"With limited infrastructure, the system is struggling to meet demand," a psychiatrist in private practice in Panaji told The Goan, adding that the government's expansion project offers hope but is still some years away before it is completed and operational.
For now, doctors continue to balance treatment needs with discharge pressures, while patients and families face long waits and uncertainty.
