Mental Treatment Act, 1945

Consulting rooms and clinics.

24.—(1) A mental hospital authority may, with the consent of the Minister, and shall, if the Minister so directs, provide and maintain, either in their district mental hospital or elsewhere, consulting rooms or clinics for affording advice and preventive and curative treatment in cases of mental disorder (including cases of suspected or incipient mental disorder) and for the investigation of such cases.

(2) Where the Minister gives a direction under sub-section (1) of this section, he may specify in the direction the place or places at which any consulting rooms or clinics mentioned in the direction are to be provided and it shall be the duty of the mental hospital authority to whom the direction is given to provide such consulting rooms or clinics at such place or places.

(3) Where a mental hospital authority propose to provide under this section consulting rooms or clinics (whether of their own motion or in compliance with a direction of the Minister), they may, with the consent of the Minister, arrange, in lieu of providing such consulting rooms or clinics, that accommodation at any mental institution or any hospital, clinic, dispensary or health centre will be available for use as such consulting rooms or clinics.

(4) Where a consulting room or clinic is provided under this section by a mental hospital authority, the authority may allow persons to attend at the consulting room or clinic as private patients and may charge for such attendances fees in accordance with a scale approved of by the Minister.