Famous, popular, reputed, Guntur, AP, India, psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health nurse, social worker and occupational therapist are few words used in describing the work of MGICMH.
MGICMH has built its reputation over 8 years in Guntur and surrounding districts. It is led by an UK based psychiatrist with bio-psycho-social approach. It works as a multi-disciplinary team of Psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers and occupational therapists.
Psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor and his approach is usually biological. Psychologist is a trained professional who looks at the problem in a non-medical way and examines feelings, thoughts and how it is affecting the patient. Mental health nurses are specialized in caring for mentally ill patients, observing the behaviour and providing nursing care. Social worker is a professional who considers the social aspects of the patient like family, financial status, social standing and other social pressures. Occupational therapist looks at the functioning of the patient and tries to make the patient functional in life.
It is all well what we say, but speak to our actual beneficiaries, their families and the local public, what they say about our institution.
MGICMH functions as a ‘non-profit’ organisation. This model is very new to the local medical community and hence faces challenges from commercially oriented local hospitals, especially, from RMP doctors, because MGICMH does not pay any referral fees (30-40% of charges). Its finances are balanced by payments made by wealthy patients and few great donors.
Word of mouth is very powerful. Most new patients come to us are referred by our beneficiaries and their families.
In this hospital, we see patient as a part of a family, not as an isolated human being. Therefore, patient’s problems are analysed in the context of family setting and the assessment and management does inevitably involve family.
We are aware, our work has been criticised by some local psychiatrists as ‘unnecessary work’. It is ‘unnecessary’ for those who want to treat a ‘patient’ as a commodity and believe that the solution for patient’s problems lie in prescribing, just medication.
Our approach reduces the number of medications, reduces their dosages and provides better satisfaction for our patients and their families.