MANZINI – A ward meant to accommodate 45 patients is overcrowded with at least 100 patients at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital, creating conditions feared to be a breeding ground for diseases.
Some patients sleep on mats and mattresses on the floor, a situation staff fear could worsen their mental health conditions.
This was among a litany of disturbing challenges presented to a joint fact-finding mission by the Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration/Integrity (CHRPA/I) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) at the centre yesterday.
The mission was informed that the centre sometimes became infested with lice after mentally incapacitated patients were picked up from the streets and admitted without adequate facilities to bathe and clean them.
Nurse Bongumusa Myeni, who works in the acute ward, said the problem sometimes persisted for days because of a lack of resources.
“This then leads to a spread of lice within the centre, as we sometimes do not have the capacity to bathe the patients even for a whole week,” said Myeni.
He said the safety of hospital staff, including orderlies, nurses and security personnel, is often compromised when there are no proper tools to manage patients.
Instead of one nurse being responsible for four patients, he said the ratio sometimes becomes unmanageable when the hospital was flooded with patients.
The CSC was led by Chairman Simanga Mamba, while the CHRPA was led by Chairman Zwelethu Mnisi.
They promised to send teams to do a thorough investigation on the affairs of the institution and then compile a report.
Patients pose security threat
MANZINI – Some mental health patients have threatened to sexually assault staff, while others have allegedly formed gangs at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital, posing a serious security threat.
The joint fact-finding mission by the Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration/Integrity (CHRPA/I) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) was informed that some patients were members of the notorious Numbers Gang and could become violent.
“We often hear them saying they have a mandate to kill a police or correctional officer. Then when they see us working around, they perceive us to be police officers. When we lock them in the wards, they are convinced that they are in police or correctional cells,” Nurse Bongumusa Myeni said.
Staff members also recalled an incident in which they were administering medication to a newly admitted patient when a large Rambo knife fell from his clothes.
“It was terrifying to note that we had risked our lives, as we thought the police who brought him in had already searched him,” said a staff member.
CSC member Prince Mfanawemakhosi asked whether orderlies had been trained in martial arts to enable them to control violent patients.
Myeni said they had received some training and had been encouraged to document their needs, but the required equipment had not been supplied.
“Currently, we only use a blanket to wrap the patient so that we can hold his limbs while giving him medication,” he said.
During the tour, a patient in the acute area expressed an intention to sexually assault a female staff member. Nurses said such threats were not uncommon, forcing them to remain constantly vigilant.
1 Comment