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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Health Reporter
A capital budget of US$1,1 million has been assigned by Government for the expansion and refurbishment of Parirenyatwa Mental Health Hospital, in a move that will improve care and accommodate more psychiatric patients.
The investment comes at a crucial time when mental health issues are on the rise, particularly on the back of an increase in drug and substance abuse.
The expansion of the mental health hospital, which began in February, will allow for more patients to be treated and provide additional resources and services by mid-year.
Speaking during a tour of the wards last week, head of the mental health hospital, Dr Fungi Mazhandu, said the investment would not only benefit those in need of care, but would also help to alleviate the strain on existing mental health facilities.
“We have been having an increase in mental health awareness globally, including Zimbabwe, and because of that, we have had an increase in those who have been referred to Parirenyatwa’s mental health institution.
“We did so much awareness because we wanted our community to know where they can get help. And the outcome of great awareness is getting more patients.
“They started spilling over also from Covid-19 and because of that thankfully we have managed to do renovations to meet the needs of our population. Our Government has acknowledged that we were doing good work and were oversubscribed, including our main hospital, so the renovations are aimed at maintaining the care that we have always been giving,” she said.
Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe hospitals are the only two public institutions offering mental healthcare services serving patients from Harare and the rest of the country, although Ingutsheni in Bulawayo remains the largest psychiatric hospital.
Between 50 percent to 70 percent of patients that are admitted at Parirenyatwa are victims of drug and substance abuse, with the number increasing to above 90 percent at times. This has put more pressure on the institutions as they are often times overwhelmed.
Dr Mazhandu said the expansion of the hospital would increase access to mental healthcare for all those in need.
“This is a positive thing for our community because the drug and substance are rife in the community. So when the admissions increase, it just means people have a greater awareness of the fact that this problem has mental health implications and that they are willing to bring their relatives.
“Drug and substance abuse was not the only mental health challenge that we faced. So it was side-lining patients with other disorders such as bipolar affective, schizophrenia, who we have always traditionally admitted and who have always needed our care,” she added.
The expansion and renovations will see both the female and male wards being renovated, while the female section has been equipped with a courtyard to allow patients time to have sessions with occupational therapists outside. The occupational therapy space will also be increased and has been moved closer to the outpatient department which is also being expanded.
A lot of psychiatric care involves in-patient care to stabilise and find the correct drugs or combination from the ever-expanding range of medication that helps maintain stability, and then outpatient care, which for those with chronic conditions might be for the rest of their lives, to maintain the newly found stability.
The waiting area is also being expanded to cater for the increasing number of patients and their relatives while a new perimeter wall has been built along Josiah Tongogara and Mazowe Streets, while the one that was on the other side has been raised to ensure the safety of patients.
“We also have an outpatients’ department exclusively for children so we have expanded that and we are hoping that we can meet their needs on more days of the week. So far we have been having a children’s clinic on Tuesdays only , although we have walk-ins come in every day. We are hoping that these are some of the services that we can expand once the facility allows,” said Dr Mazhandu.
The renovations and additions would help to remove the stigma that is associated with mental health and accessing treatment.
“As you know mental health has always had a lot of stigma attached to it so it’s nice that we’re demystifying that. Besides the fact that we’ve expanded, we also are increasing and implementing new health guidelines of how closely patients are taken care of,” she added.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter