6
Diet.—Liberal and nutritious diet with adequate vitamine contents is supplied to patients. It is ensured
in every case that each patient gets and eats his proper quantity of diet. The weight losers, patients with
indifferent health and cases of anorexia are given sufficient quantity of milk to improve their health and to
reach upto the due standard of weight.
Live-stock supplied by the Upper-Shillong Farm is as follows :—
—
Remained on 31st December 1944 or 1st
January 1945.
Born or received during the year ..
Total .. .. ..
Died
..
..
..
..
Destroyed
..
..
.. ..
Sold .. .. .. ..
Transferred
..
..
..
..
Remaining on 31st December 1945 or 1st
January 1946.
Cows
5×1
..
5×1
×1
..
1
..
4 ×
Heifer
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Cow-calf
2
2×4(6)×
8
1
..
..
..
7
Bullocks
..
×
..
..
..
..
..
..
Bull
1
×
1
..
..
..
..
1
Bull-calf
4
1
5
1
..
..
..
4
Remarks
*Received from
Gauhati Jail.
Poultry.—The number is meagre, fresh eggs, when available, were issued for the patients.
Cleanliness.—Great care was taken in the difficult matter of maintaining the personal cleanliness of the
inmates, but without sufficient water this important work cannot be carried out satisfactorily.
Clothings.—Clothings were sufficient.
Discipline.—Good and well maintained.
Amusement and Recreation.—Patients are kept amused with music, band and game. Literate inmates were
provided with books and news papers. Proper recreation hall is wanting. Want of a recreation hall with a
library section is a great desideratum in this Mental Hospital.
It is hoped that as the normal times have returned the provision of a recreation hall for the patients as in
other Mental Hospitals will be made. Some well behaved patients are sent out for walking. They were
entertained to a cinema show.
The provision of a Char a-banc for regular outings for the patients as well as for transport purposes of this
hospital is a pressing necessity.
Sanitation.—As in previous years satisfactory sanitary condition could not be maintained for want of
sufficient water.
Building.—(1) The construction of a convalescent Home for those Mental Patients who are on the way to
recovery deserves sympathetic consideration as such patients react adversely in association with Chronic
cases.
(2) The construction of an Isolation Ward specially for Dysentery cases is urgently needed.
Nursing.—Provision of Nursing Sisters for the Female section and male Nurses for the male section is
an urgent necessity,
Staff.—The staff worked hard and satisfactorily. Increases in the superior staff is essentially and urgently
required. The Scheme for improvement of the Mental Hospital is being taken up in two stages :—
I. The interim stage in which provision of nurses with buildings programme for their accommodation is
under correspondence with Government.
II. Find five year plan—to increase accommodation of the Hospital by 284 to raise it to a thousand beds
with increase and improvement of the staff.
Inspection.—During the year under report this hospital was visited by Lady Clow, the Hon'ble Minister
of Education, Assam, and the Commissioner of Divisions.
Meeting of the Board of Visitors.—The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Visitors were held regularly.
The keen interest displayed in the patients by these voluntary workers and the time they have given to their
duties ungrudingly is higly appreciated.
GENERAL REMARKS—II
(11) This Institution though styled "Mental Hospital " is still in mixed state of a Prison, an Asylum and
a Mental Home. In order to modernise it a good deal of improvement is necessary, so that the inmates of
this Hospital, the unfortunate sections of our fellow beings, are better looked after, and more zealous
endeavours on up-to-date lines may be made to rehabilitate and accommodate them back into the society.
The Provision of a suitable convalescent block where in patients improving and reacting favourably may be
suitably lodged and a Refractory block for housing the noisy, dirty and demented patients who have little
prospect of recovery should also be constructed in order to prevent the maxing up of acute recoverable cases
with chronic incurables. Now that the projects for post-war reconstruction are seriously engaging the atten-
tion of the Government, it is expected that the much needed all round improvements of this hospital regar-
ding its buildings, equipment and staff will be effected. The attitude of the genaral public towards lunacy is
still very crude and the Medical profession for lack of sound training is inclined to look upon psychiatry as a
kind of pathological curiosity; so, a propaganda programme to educate the public, and to cope with the
apathy and lack of understanding in the Medical Profession is the first essential thing.
Your obedient servant,
S. L. BHATIA,
Colonel, I. M. S.,
Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals, Assam.