Take care of mentally ill patients – Ndjaba
Families urged to take responsibility
Just last week, a 60-year-old pensioner from Rundu, who is mentally ill, was seen walking naked in public. This after she missed her monthly medication.
Head of the Windhoek Central Hospital psychiatric centre, Hileni Ndjaba, says families should take responsibility for mentally disabled or ill persons by ensuring that they go for treatment in order to avoid unwelcome symptoms.
She was responding to an enquiry about the complex issue of mentally disabled or ill people who live within communities, loiter around and sometimes act in unexpected ways.
Just last week, a 60-year-old pensioner from Rundu was seen walking naked in public. Namibian Sun established that the pensioner is mentally ill and her behaviour was triggered by missing her monthly medication.
The reason why she could not go to the hospital was because there was no one to drive, while the granddaughter she lives didn’t have taxi money.
Take them for treatment
Ndjaba said it is the responsibility of the family to take care and ensure that their family members who suffer from mental illnesses are taken to the hospital on time for treatment.
“We need to educate the families that they need to take the patients to the hospital for treatment. When a patient is taken for treatment, they will not show symptoms such as what happened,” she said.
Referring to onlookers who took videos of the pensioner, Ndjaba said they should have taken her to the hospital.
Further, regarding other mentally disabled persons often seen causing a commotion in Rundu, she said this is sometimes is a result them consuming other substances, which worsens their condition.
A complex issue
When contacted for comment, the health ministry’s executive director Ben Nangombe said that the issue of mental health in the country is complex.
He added that capacity at various mental health facilities in the country is not sufficient.
[email protected]
She was responding to an enquiry about the complex issue of mentally disabled or ill people who live within communities, loiter around and sometimes act in unexpected ways.
Just last week, a 60-year-old pensioner from Rundu was seen walking naked in public. Namibian Sun established that the pensioner is mentally ill and her behaviour was triggered by missing her monthly medication.
The reason why she could not go to the hospital was because there was no one to drive, while the granddaughter she lives didn’t have taxi money.
Take them for treatment
Ndjaba said it is the responsibility of the family to take care and ensure that their family members who suffer from mental illnesses are taken to the hospital on time for treatment.
“We need to educate the families that they need to take the patients to the hospital for treatment. When a patient is taken for treatment, they will not show symptoms such as what happened,” she said.
Referring to onlookers who took videos of the pensioner, Ndjaba said they should have taken her to the hospital.
Further, regarding other mentally disabled persons often seen causing a commotion in Rundu, she said this is sometimes is a result them consuming other substances, which worsens their condition.
A complex issue
When contacted for comment, the health ministry’s executive director Ben Nangombe said that the issue of mental health in the country is complex.
He added that capacity at various mental health facilities in the country is not sufficient.
[email protected]
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