Chapter: 1.1 Importat Definations

Important Definitions

Inspecting Officer: means a person authorized by the State Government or by the licensing authority to inspect any psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home;

Medical Officer: means a gazetted medical officer in the service of Government and includes a medical practitioner declared, by a general or special order of the State Government, to be a medical officer for the purposes of this Act;

Medical Officer In Charge: in relation to any psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home, means the medical officer who, for the time being, is in charge of that hospital or nursing home;

Medical Practitioner: means a person who possesses a recognized medical qualification as defined
•    in Cl (h) of Sec 2 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (102 of 1956), and whose name has been entered in the State Medical Register, as defined in C1. (k) of that section;
•    in Cl (h) of sub-section (1 ) of Sec. 2 of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 (48 of 1970), and whose name has been entered in a State Register of Indian Medicine, as defined in cl (I) of sub-section (1) of that section; and
•    in C1. (g) of sub-section (1) of Sec. 2 of the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 (59 of 1973), and whose name has been entered in a State Register of Homoeopathy, as defined in C1. (I) of sub-section 1) of that section;

Mentally ill person: means a person who is in need of treatment by person of any mental disorder other than mental retardation;

Mentally ill prisoner: means a mentally ill person for whose detention in, or removal to, a psychiatric hospital, psychiatric nursing home, jail or other place of safe custody, an order referred to in Sec. 27 has been made;

Psychiatric Hospital or Psychiatric Nursing Home: means a hospital, or as the case may be, a nursing home established or maintained by the Government or any other person for the treatment and care of mentally ill persons and includes a convalescent home established or maintained by the Government or any other person for such mentally ill persons; but does not include any general hospital or general nursing home established or maintained by the Government and which provides also for psychiatric services;

Psychiatrist: means a medical practitioner possessing a post-graduate degree or diploma in psychiatry, recognized by the Medical Council of India, constituted under Indian Medical Council Act, 1856 (102 of 1956), and includes, in relation to any State, any medical officer who, having regard to his knowledge and experience in psychiatry, has been declared by the Government of that State to be a psychiatrist for the purposes of this Act;

Reception order: means an order made under the provision of this Act for the admission and detention of a mentally ill person in a psychiatric Hospital or psychiatric nursing home