The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: A report filed by the Delhi government’s Department of Social Welfare has highlighted the dismal conditions of the Asha Kiran shelter home in the national capital, where 14 inhabitants had died within a month in July.
According to the report filed before the Delhi High Court, only one psychiatrist is in-charge of looking after 938 intellectually challenged inmates at the home, which has been set up specially for orphan and destitute patients, reported The Indian Express.
The home is also housing inmates way beyond its maximum capacity. While the home can house 570 residents, it presently has 938 residents, including 399 women.
According to the report, of the 14 people who died in the home in July, seven were facing health issues such as loose motions and gastroenteritis, while three faced breathing issues. Three others were suffering from malnutrition, and another three persons were patients of anaemia along with a person who was suffering from nutritional deficiency.
The report added that 11 doctors, including an internal medicine specialist, eight General Duty Medical Officers (GDMO), a paediatrician and a psychiatrist, are expected to look after the inmates but the posts of the internal medicine specialist, two GDMOs and paediatrician are presently lying vacant, reported The Indian Express.
The sanctioned posts of three clinical psychologists are also presently lying vacant along with the the post of a physiotherapist, the report said.
“Children with intellectual disabilities who have no co-morbidities and various behavioural issues require highly personalised care and attention. Medical care is hard to maintain due to co-morbidity and low immunity. (They) are prone to get sick easily and are unable to explain their discomfort. As the persons with intellectual disabilities are unable to communicate their co-morbidities, it may cause undue delay in providing required medical treatment,” the report says, according to The Indian Express’s report.