Berbera: Mental Health Hospital to offer help homeless Patients with mental disorders
Barbara mental health hospital takes the assignment to search and collect mentally disordered people from outskirts and sea-shores. This time round 19 men and one woman have been admitted at hospital to receive treatment and take rest from long painful period.
Berbera located at alongside red-sea and in the summer time the temperature hits above 45 Degree Celsius. Inhabitants of city subscribe to various types for cooling homes and workplaces. The mentally disordered community,especially those abandoned by their families and relatives used to die for the incredible heat and lack of care but since some residents with help of local government start to establish mental hospital much has change in the city.
Public institutions including community mental health centers is rare in the country and hardships of last 25 years produced hundreds of mentally ill people from all works of life.
Mohmmad Abdi-a member of local resident who started the initiative to collect and admit mentally disturbed individuals to the hospital says they could not take to see the plight condition of these people. “ in the summer time, they die because of the extreme heat and they do not have anyone who is there to care”
In the northren regions of the country, now is widly known as “Somaliland” the consumption of khat, (stimulant tree) is high. A number of studies established a causal link between Khat and mental illness and due to that, mental illness complications are more prevalent in the Somaliland than in the south and central regions of the country.
Omar Siyad- the head of the hospital talks how they appraoch and help the patients for the first time
“ when they come here, we first give them tranquilizers, shower, food and place to sleep”
Some of the patient are brought to hopital by relatives and stay with them to give extra help but those who has been collected by the volunteers needs special attention from hopital attendents
“ when a family member brings someone to hospital he gives all the necessary information that the doctor needs including the history of the patient but when you admit someone collected by volunteers you need to spend more time to understand the kind of mental help that this particular person needs”
At launch time the head of feeding department instructs all the patient to wash hands and helps those who cannot wash their hands to wash. Then Omar Abdi serves everyone a simple food but with good nurtritional values “ We serve them good meals, meat, milk, rice, pasta, all the kinds of food are available” says Omar Abdi
Some of the patient started to show signs of relieve and as result started to give more background informations to doctors.
Deqo Abdi- a doc-tress who operates in the hospital talks how the situation of the only mental female patient in the hospital improves “ we have one female patient, we yet to find her family but know as she improves, she started to tell us many accurate things in her past l including which city she comes from”
The mental patients have laundry service where their clothes and bed sheets washed at least 3 times a week “ when admitted to hospital their hygiene was very poor but since they arrived here, they live under acceptable standards of hygiene” says Farhan Abdi one of the hospital managers.
One of the patient believes that he is now alright and can go his job back but doctors says he must stay under supervision of doctors “ now I feel that Iam completely ready to go back to my job. Iam driver and motrist” says Hussien Abdi
Many urban residents in the Country suffer mental health disorders and sometimes instead of receiving help are either harassed or neglected.
Goobjoog