'Persons with mental illnesses not to be left at mercy of family members'

New Delhi: Persons with mental illnesses should not be left at the mercy of family members, NHRC chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra has said.

A delegation of NHRC led by its chairperson visited and inspected the Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Agra, and also held a workshop on July 27-28, officials said.

Justice Mishra said he was appalled to learn that family members disown persons affected by mental illness and allow them to languish in mental healthcare institutions.

Persons suffering from mental illness have an equal share in civil and property rights, he was quoted as saying in the statement.

The rights panel had recently received a report from authorities that pointed towards "shortcomings and difficulties in the functioning" of the institution in Uttar Pradesh.

Justice Mishra said before moving on to emulate the best practices, it is important to address the "problems faced by the institute, including shortage of medical and administrative staff and timely payments of salary and required budget of the institute for effective functioning of the Institution".