Admission Procedure to Mental Health Covid Treatment Units

1. National Institute of Mental Health will be giving care to asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic covid positive patients without other major comorbidities who need acute inpatient psychiatric care in a secure Environment.

2. The following categories of patients will not be admitted to the National Institute of Mental Health with regard to the covid status irrespective of their mental illness.

a. Severe Covid illness (Critical) b. Patients with significant medical comorbidities c. Pregnant individuals d. Patients in the immediate postpartum period (< than one month)

3. The patients need to be prior assessed by the consultant psychiatrist and the medical team designated to the medical institution or quarantine centre where the patient currently resides and get down only the asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients after the opinion of the relevant consultant psychiatrist and consultant physician at NIMH.

4. Admissions of the patients will be subjected to the availability of beds in the covid 19 treatment wards.

5. Covid 19 positive pregnant patients with mental illness and patients in the immediate postpartum period (one month within the delivery) should not be admitted to the NIMH. Instead, they should be managed at the designated Gynaecology and Obstetrics ward for covid positive patients at the

Colombo East Base Hospital, Mulleriyawa.

6. The psychiatric management should be covered up by the relevant psychiatry team according to the patient‘s catchment area.

7. Covid 19 positive mentally ill patients in the community who directly seek psychiatric treatment from the NIMH will be assessed by the relevant psychiatric team. A joint decision will be taken by the consultant psychiatrist and the consultant physician on further management depending on the clinical state of the patient.