Families continue to neglect mental health patients – Health Minister

Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony recently lamented the enduring neglect of some mental health patients by their families.

Dr. Anthony, at a recent press conference, said this is a significant challenge in the mental health sector. He noted that some families refuse to accept discharged patients back into their homes.

Some patients have been hospitalised for as long as two decades, the health minister revealed.

However, a new law is expected to help address this.

The new Mental Health Protection and Promotion law caters to modern mental health services and specifically states that persons with mental illnesses should not be segregated from society.

“We have to now treat people when they have an acute problem and once that acute phase is passed and they are managed, then you discharge them.

“The challenge with that is that we have a lot of patients that have been with us, in some cases for more than two decades. And for many of them we can actually send them home, but the families of these patients they don’t want to accept them home,” Dr. Anthony stated.

He also acknowledged the difficulty of finding alternative arrangements for such patients and revealed that the local authorities are exploring alternative housing options for them.

“There is not much we can do, we will probably have to make alternative arrangements to see whether they go into homes or something but it has been a challenge for us,” the minister said as he reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to reducing the burden of mental illnesses.

As it relates to broader mental health services, Dr. Anthony outlined substantial progress such as mental health services are now available in almost all regions.

Psychiatry services also now extends to children with two available child psychiatrists. Mental health consultations also done via telemedicine now.

Meanwhile, with support from a consultant from India, a comprehensive mental health strategy is being developed.