Jowai, Oct 10: The Halfway Home at Sabah Muswang, which is run by the Society for Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE), Jowai, on Tuesday observed the World Mental Health Day along with the staff, the inmates and the visiting doctor of the home.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Mental Health is a Universal human right”, which reminds everyone the importance of respecting the rights of people with mental illness which is often neglected by the common people. People living with mental illness are also entitled to basic human right.

Halfway Home is a place for the mentally ill patients who have been treated at the mental institutions and are not supposed to be kept in the mental institutions but in a home like environment where they will be provided counseling, vocational training and also to try locate their place of residence.

In the forenoon, a drawing competition was organized for the inmates and many of them took active participation in the competition. Despite being mentally ill, they were able to draw and paint fruits and flowers of their choice.

In the evening, a small function was held in which prizes and food were distributed to the inmates. The meeting was presided over by Niwanka Shylla, Project Coordinator, Halfway Home Sabah Muswang, who welcomed those present in the gathering and also gave a brief report on the function of the Home.

Dr. H.H. Mohrmen, Secretary of SURE, lauded the service rendered by the staffs of the Home and also and expressed his gratitude to Dr. Anne Paswet, Psychiatrist, and also to Medical Superintendent of Jowai Civil Hospital and Dr Ebormitre Dann, who also serves the Halfway Home as a visiting doctors.

Dr. Mohrmen on behalf of the staffs and the inmates also expressed his gratitude to Dr. Dann who presented a T.V. for use in the home. He said that it is not coincidence but grace of God that the present was delivered on the day observed as World Mental Health Day. Dr. Dann later thanked the staffs of the Home for their service and for accepting his small present.

Rights of the mentally ill person are as follows:
1. The fundamental rights as their fellow citizens, including the right to a decent life, as normal and full as possible.
2. Legal Safeguards against abuse,
3. Right to appeal,
4. Right to necessary treatment in the least restrictive setup and as far as possible to be treated and cared for in the community.
5. Right to rehabilitation, right to personal autonomy, privacy, freedom of communication,
6. Right to education,
7. Right to training,
8. Right to economic and social security,
9. Right to family and community life,
10. Right to employment,
11. Right to protection against exploitation and discriminatory, abusive, or degrading treatment,
12. Right for assistance, including legal, for protecting their rights.