Varanasi: During a surprise inspection of govt mental hospital on Sunday, district magistrate Satyendra Kumar directed hospital officials to send a letter to higher authorities for replacement of words and terms that have become outdated and irrelevant.While checking record registers, the DM found terms like ‘kothri’, ‘lockup’, and ‘jangi ward’ were still in use at this hospital. He instructed hospital administration to change these outdated words and terms, mentioning that they were no longer relevant.Seeking details of the hospital and its functioning, he inspected the fire room, guard room, patient wards, OPD, emergency, family wards and other areas. He also inspected wards and directed provision of emergency lights for patients. He expressed satisfaction with cleanliness of beds, sheets and rooms.Director and chief superintendent of the hospital informed the DM that residential as well as outpatient facilities were available at the hospital. There is a separate outpatient room for patient consultations. An administrative complex also has a shed for mental patients and their families to sit during visits, equipped with filtered water coolers and toilets. Separate accommodations are available for male, female and family wards. The hospital provides counselling for mentally ill patients through telemedicine. The DM also checked the guard room register and instructed that details of all visitors to the hospital must be recorded. He visited OPD and family wards, spoke with the nursing staff about arrangements and checked the family ward register. He emphasised that every patient and their guardian in the family ward must be registered with their name and phone number. He also instructed creation of ID cards for guardians of patients residing in the family ward. Kumar also gathered information about new wards being constructed at the mental hospital and foundation work of the medical college.
