80 mental cases reported at Effia Nkwanta Hospital monthly

Sekondi, Feb. 2, GNA - The Psychiatric Wing of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital treats between 80 and 90 mental cases each month. Most of the patients were women, who suffer from depression, diabetes and hypertension.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sekondi on Wednesday, Madam Miranda Kusorgbor, a Nursing Officer of the wing said a total of 22 new cases were recorded at the hospital in January 2006, while 85 cases were still pending, as at last month. She said the unit, which must regularly visit their patients at home to ascertain their participation in community activities, and recovery rate among others, could not do so, due to lack of means of transport.

She said the risk involved in dealing with psychiatric patients were too high. A nurse once lost her tooth while attending to a patient, adding that, spitting on nurses by the patients was a common phenomenon. Madam Kusorgbor said churches and non-governmental organisations should assist and sponsor the unit to enable it to embark on more sensitisation exercises in the communities about mental health and its effects on the community, the church and the nation as a whole. She said to ease the anxiety of the mental patient, recreational facilities and centres must be provided to enable them undertake physiotherapy and rehabilitation, as often as they could. Madam Kusorgbor said drugs for the treatment of mental health was free and people should visit the unit to ascertain their mental health status.

She said patients were usually referred from the out patients department (OPD) of the hospital, while a few others report to the unit themselves.

Madam Kusorgbor said a few relatives bring their mentally sick relations to the unit for assistance and treatment.