Delhi High Court on Wednesday has directed the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) to fill the vacancies of doctors and other staff as soon as possible and practicable.
A division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued the directions and disposed of the PIL after Institute’s counsel, Tushar Sannu has submitted that an advertisement has already been issued on September 1 in connection the recruitment of 45 faculty staff.
A PIL has been moved by an advocate Amit Sahni seeking filling up of the vacancies of doctors and medical staff at IHBAS expeditiously in view of the “rampant rise in psychiatric and psychological cases in the country more effectively and efficiently”.
“The court disposed of the matter by asking the institute to complete the recruitment process in accordance with law, rules and regulations and government policy applicable to the facts of the case and as expeditiously as possible and practicable,” said the official statement from IHBAS.
The petitioner stated that the shortage of doctors and medical staff at IHBAS is a serious concern and the institute has completely failed to tackle the problem. The petitioner also mentioned that he had made a representation to the IHBAS on August 5 but the institute aired the advertisement for the recruitment of faculty staff only after he filed the PIL.
Advocate Devender Verma appearing for the Delhi government apprised the court that the institute has already issued a notification for the recruitment of doctors and medical staff at IHBAS for 45 posts on Tuesday.
The petitioner has also mentioned the promotion and retention related issues of the institute. Sahni sought the directions to the institute to redress the promotion and other inconvenience encountered by the IHBAS faculty staff in order to curtail the increasing number of resignations. It was alleged in the petition that IHBAS has not promoted doctors and healthcare professionals from the past 10 years.
The petitioner has also mentioned about the details that IHBAS is at present working with 25 faculty against 103 faculty members.
The plea stated that the pandemic COVID-19 has pushed millions of people into isolation and unemployment which is ultimately leading to anxiety, depression, and suicide, and also assessed mental health could be the country’s next crisis.
“There is no health without mental health underlines the fact that mental health is an integral and essential component of health. Mental health, hitherto neglected, is now recognised as a critical requirement and is engaging the attention of policy-makers, professionals, and communities in India and across the globe,” stated the plea.
