Activists in Maharashtra encourage mental health patients to take medical help even as they seek divine intervention

Pune: An anti-superstition group and some NGOs in Maharashtra have started a project to encourage people suffering from mental ailments to take medical help even as they seek divine intervention for the cure. A number of such patients from different parts of the country visit the Sailani Baba Dargah in Sailani village of Maharashtra’s Buldhana district with the belief that the century-old Sufi shrine’s miraculous healing powers will help them recover from the mental illness. But, they sometimes end up getting fleeced by self-proclaimed godmen and quacks, activists say. “The shrine does not have any treatment facility. People go there with a belief that the ailment will be cured due to the healing powers at the shrine,” Dr Hameed Dabholkar, a trained psychiatrist with a keen interest in community mental health and member of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), told PTI. He said the MANS and other NGOs do not intend to stop people from following their belief. “So we tell them that along with ‘dua’ (blessings), they should also take ‘dawaa’ (medication) and the help of our team of volunteers and psychiatrists,” he said. The MANS has tied up with local NGO Matrubhumi Foundation and former MLA Harshavardhan Sapkal for the ‘dawaa-dua’ project. Sapkal has also been instrumental in bringing the shrine trustees, locals, patients, their relatives and the district administration together on one platform as part of the project. “We have formed a team of 25 volunteers of the Matrubhumi Foundation, who are called ‘manas mitra’ or ‘manas maitrin’. They reach out to the patients and their relatives who visit the dargah and convince them to take medication for the mental ailmment,” said Dr Hameed Dabholkar, who is the son of slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. He said they have also decided to start a ‘psychiatric Out-Patient Department (OPD)’ which will function twice a month where patients will be diagnosed and given medication as well as psycho-social support. He said they are also insisting that penal action be taken against any superstitious acts and those who try to exploit the patients and their relatives under the pretext of curing them. “We have appealed to people to register cases against such elements,” said Dabholkar. The  MANS, volunteers of Matrubhumi, dargah mujawars (priests), Sapkal and Buldhana Collector S Ramamoorthy held a meeting two weeks ago where patients and their relatives were sensitised about the medication and treatment, he said. “During our field visits, we spoke to patients and their relatives and realised they also want to take medication,” he said. Sapkal said Sailani is a reputed place and people from different parts of the country visit it. “Devotees feel visiting Sailani Baba’s dargah brings ‘barkat’ (prosperity) and their work gets done without any hurdle. The other belief is that by visiting the shrine, a person will be free of black magic spells and mental illness,” he said. Many patients along with their relatives stay for a longer time in the village with a belief that they will get cured by being under the refuge of Sailani Baba, he said. But, there have also been instances where people bring their mentally ill relatives to the village and abandon them, he said. Sapkal said there has been a demand that the village should have a dedicated hospital for mental diseases as medical treatment for such patients is important. “But just having a hospital or a medical facility is not enough as patients should go there and take treatment. So, there is a need to create that kind of atmosphere by bringing all the stakeholders together and create awareness and acceptance for the medication among patients,” he said. “With the ‘dawaa-dua’ project, we opened a communication line by explaining to the patients that the way they do not miss ‘dua’ timings at the dargah, they should also not miss ‘dawaa’ timings,” he said. He said his daughter Dr Gargi Sapkal is coordinating the project in the village. Chand Mujawar, one of the priests at the dargah, said it is a normal thing for mental illness patients to seek blessings at the shrine, but he also raised concerns about self-proclaimed godmen or quacks who exploit such people. Some patients are chained and subjected to physical torture under the pretext of treatment, he said. “We support project ‘dawaa-dua’ as patients will get proper medical treatment and there will be a check on the activities of these godmen and quacks,” he said. Mujawar said four years ago, a doctor from Akola used to visit the village and treat mentally ill patients, but he stopped coming after 2017-18. “I am confident that this project will benefit the needy patients and they will receive proper medical treatment,” he added. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.