Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday took serious note of the shortage of essential psychiatric medicines at the Regional Mental Hospital, prompting an immediate supply after stern oral directions to the authorities.A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode warned the administration to clarify whether medicines would be made available, failing which names of responsible officials must be submitted before the court. The warning triggered swift action, with the required medicines supplied within two hours.The court initiated a suo motu PIL after reports highlighted that critical medicines were unavailable for over a year and a half to the patients. The hospital handles around 300 outpatients daily and houses over 500 admitted patients, including nearly 280 men and 250 women, all dependent on continuous treatment and medication.Court-appointed amicus curiae, Isha Thakre, informed the bench that at least four essential medicines were missing. The state later claimed compliance, but the court directed verification and scheduled the next hearing for April 8.Rejecting explanations citing technical hurdles, the bench observed that ensuring uninterrupted treatment was paramount.The proceedings stem from a media report published on January 20, which reported prolonged non-availability of key psychiatric drugs. At the time, only 10 types of medicines were said to be in stock, while several essential drugs remained unavailable for nearly 1.5 years. Relatives of patients urged doctors to prescribe medicines from outside, but doctors “were unable to do so,” the report said.
