Psychiatrist Bharat Vatwani wins Magsaysay Award |
Psychiatrist Bharat Vatwani, one of this year`s winners of the prestigious Magsaysay Award — also known as Asia`s Nobel Prize — hopes to erase the stigma associated with mental illness in India.Mental illness is a biochemical response, just like any other illness. Mentally ill people have a right to treatment and should be seen in the same way we see all others, Vatwani told India-West on the sidelines of the Indians for Collective Action`s Golden Jubilee celebrations. Vatwani was a keynote speaker at the conference and received an award from ICA that evening at a gala marking the 50th birth anniversary of the organization. In 1988, Vatwani and his wife Smitha, who is also a psychiatrist, launched the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation in Mumbai with the aim of helping mentally ill homeless people to be reunited with their families. Since its inception 30 years ago, Shraddha has reunited 7,000 mentally ill street people with their families after providing rehabilitation and support. Shraddha`s army of volunteers find wandering mentally ill people on the streets and bring them in for the first line of rehabilitation, attending to their physical needs. Many are emaciated, suffering from other illnesses, and in need of hygiene care.
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