Good Samaritans of the city have pitched in to help patients of Yerawada-based Regional Mental Hospital face the harsh winter this year, while the state government is yet to provide the required number of jackets for the patients.

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On Tuesday, the hospital was flooded with woollen blankets, jackets and sweaters donated by many families, individuals and social organisations. Dr Manohar Yadav, medical superintendent of the hospital, told DNA that many organisations had called up from Mumbai and other cities and expressed willingness to donate warm clothes.

“The state government is yet to provide 450 jackets for the patients. We have adequate blankets and bedsheets for the patients, but fewer linen jackets,” he added.

Two patients died at the hospital — Ramdas Naik (35) on December 20 and Lala Saheb Dhavde (24) on January 6 — apparently due to cold weather conditions. However, Yadav said the real causes of their deaths are yet to be ascertained as the autopsy reports are still to come in.

A family from the city comprising Dinesh Shah, his wife, daughter and mother-in-law visited the hospital with new clothes and sweaters. Shah said, “We read in the newspapers about the deaths of two patients due to the cold and thought of helping them. Since the state government is not coming forward to provide them with the items needed, we as individuals should contribute to society.”

“Every year on my wife’s birthday, January 11, we party, but this year we thought of contributing to mental healthcare. We got sweaters, blankets and jackets for the patients.” Shah and his family handed over the clothes to Dr Yadav.

Swati Paranjpe, who teaches politics at Nowrosjee Wadia College, also came to the hospital with jackets and blankets. “Society cannot turn a blind eye to the woes of the patients. I decided to collect woollen outfits that are not used at home and donate them to the hospital. These clothes will help the patients survive the cold,” she said.

Over 10 families and organisations donated blankets and jackets to the mental hospital. Dr Archana Patil, joint director of the state health services, told DNA that this year there was some administrative problem, due to which the jackets were not supplied.

Hospital sources said,  “A majority of them  throw away  blankets. But they cannot take off the jackets so easily.”