Questions:

1. If I can meet Dr. Thara ? - NO

2. To elaborate on WHO collaboration with SCARF -
3. Is there a need for mental health facility in Chennai? Are the number of psychologists and psychiatrists
in Chennai adequate?
4. Is there a live proposal for a mental health facility anywhere in Chennai or Tamilnadu? Or an expansion
project?
5. Who owns the SCARF? Is it a charitable trust or government aided? Are there people who are wiling to
pool money for such services? Or does the government have plans to bring up another mental health
institute?
6. Opinion on IMH, Kilpauk- quality of treatment, does it cater to all kinds of illnesses?
7. What is the prevailing mental illness in Chennai or Tamilnadu?
8. Do you specialize in behavioural health along with mental health: over eating, Gadget Addiction,
Substance Abuse, Gambling?
9. To elaborate on Mobile Telepsychiatry – custom bus and free services
10. To elaborate on community mental health care
11. Difference between psycho-social rehabilitation , inpatient and out patient services
12. Is the caregiver education program validated or certified and is it free of cost?
13. Will the youth mental programme require a facility? How do you gather the crowd? So, does this take
place at the colleges and schools?
14. How do I arrive at a number of beds to be given, do you have any statistics to say how many in Chennai
are in need of such a mental health care facility?
15. How much is the intake of Dementia patients?
16. How much vacancy do you have, how many patients do you get on a daily basis?
17. What is the kind of medical treatments given and what kind of equipment is used?
18. What are the patient’s needs?
19. What kind of ambience is preferable for such a facility?
20. Who is the architect of the building; can I get their contact?
21. How to arrive at numbers?
22. How well are these programmes received?
23. What are the different kinds of users: ratio of caretaker to patients
24. How do you overcome stigmatization or how much of an impact does stigmatization create
25. What other facilities would you recommend me to go visit all over India, specific to state and
internationally?
26. How many inpatients and out patients do you get on an average day?

Non- governmental organization, consists of a board of people

Collaborated with WHO for 15 years
Capacity – 40 beds
Haven’t adopted single cell, since the primary reason for a lot of mental issues have been due to withdrawal
80-90 patients/day
Doesn’t follow a typical hospital set up
Only caters to schizophrenia
Serious mental illness in which the patient confuses the real world and the world of imagination
Now a new construction is coming up in Tambaram catering only to dementia
Dementia: Chronic disorder of mental processes marked by memory disorders, personality changes and
impaired reasoning

They create employment opportunities after the patient’s treatment

The only equipment used here that is specific to the mental illness treatment is TCD- painless technique that
uses high frequency wave to measure the rate and direction of bloodflow
There is a huge need for a mental health facility in Chennai
Ratio of the patients: caretaker = 3:1
Has an apartment rented out for the patient’s family to stay
Vacancy in beds: 3-4 maximum