MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS KEPT IN POLICE CELLS

MBABANE – A Ministry of Health employee has revealed that in Pigg’s Peak, mental patients were detained at the police station due to, among other things, the shortage of nurses in the public hospital.

This civil servant, employed as a nurse at Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital, testified before CMAC Commissioner that he worked at the psychiatric hospital in Manzini for over 20 years, before being transferred to Mankayane Government Hospital and finally to Pigg’s Peak. He testified that he was currently based at the psychiatric unit in Pigg’s Peak.

He was testifying in a matter currently before CMAC, where hospital orderlies are challenging government’s decision to pay them at different scales despite that they are doing the same duties. The nurse also testified that the patients in question were taken to the police cells for security reasons.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the arrangement to keep mentally ill patients in police cells was not isolated to Pigg’s Peak Police Station. “This happens in all the police stations where mentally ill patients considered to be violent are referred to police custody for security reasons before they are transferred to the Psychiatric Centre,” Vilakati stated briefly.

According to some police officers, who asked not to be mentioned, it is not unusual for them to house people who were mentally ill at the police station, pointing out that it was not easy to determine how many people had been housed there throughout the month or year, as such incidents were frequent.

“This usually happens when the person who had been admitted became violent due to mental challenges. Unlike the Manzini Psychiatric Centre, which is able to house mentally ill patients even when they become violent, this is not the case at the Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital. It is not safe to house them in the hospital as they could end up damaging the equipment or furniture there.”

Further, the officer alleged  that most people who were brought in with mental illness  appeared to have a drug use problem, pointing out that in almost all reports, the medical personnel indicated that the behaviour was drug-induced.  

The witness testified that from his observation, the duties done by the orderlies between the two different institutions were similar in that it required somebody to clean. He said the entry requirements were that the person would be from around that community, physically fit and strong. The nurse said there were no special qualifications and the work required on-the-job-training.

He further pointed out that the risks varied between the different wards, making an example that the TB wards carried the risk of exposure to contagious diseases, while maternity wards carried more risks, as the patients were inclined to develop mental problems and attempt to manhandle the hospital personnel, whereas with the mental patients, there was a high exposure of violence on admission and thereafter, they are sedated and separated indifferent wards.

Research by this publication revealed that psychological therapies can be helpful for most people affected by mental health issues. For some mental health conditions, medications can also be helpful. Other support options include counselling, peer support, and community support services.

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