Cape Town - Gift of the Givers ensured that even the carers were taken care of on World Mental Health Day on Monday.
The disaster relief organisation commemorated World Mental Health Day with staff and patients at the Paarl Provincial Hospital.
The day is commemorated annually on October 10.
Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay said: “Paarl Hospital was chosen because when we did an assessment last year in the community with the sisters in charge of the psychiatric unit of Paarl Provincial Hospital, they brought to our attention the alarming rate of mental health cases coming through to the hospital.”
Gift of the Givers has been visiting psychiatric hospitals across the country. In one particular hospital, hospital staff shared how many mental health patients were abandoned by their families while at the hospital, with staff now having to fulfil that role.
Once these patients die as a result of mental health challenges, families feel too ashamed to collect the bodies of the deceased and bury them, with this now falling on to the hospital to have this seen to.
Staff were treated with a guided drumming class. Each staff member received a blanket, coffee and other goodies. Each patient received hygiene packs and snacks.
“Many people just concentrate on the hospitals locally but we thought about going out further, out of Cape Town to show them that we are there and see the struggles they go through and give them that necessary support,” Sablay said.
“We thought it’s very important to keep the staff motivated because to deal with a mentally challenged person or person that is struggling mentally, it’s very difficult and you can deal with any other sickness and you’ll know there will be a cure, but with mental health it’s very difficult at times.”
Elsewhere, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo visited the Vredenburg Provincial Hospital’s mental health ward yesterday. The ward is a 16-bed, 72-hour facility and involuntary ward for mental health patients.
“As a Department of Health we want to make sure that mental health forms part of the general health across the life approach, which is all age groups. And also it is crucial that people who are already diagnosed with mental illness, there must be no stigmatisation,” Mbombo said.
Mbombo urged those with mental health challenges to seek help at the province’s clinics, where clinicians would be able to provide help where necessary.
The Covid-19 pandemic worsened mental health conditions as it disrupted access of mental health services, widening the treatment gap.
The World Health Organization’s theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority”.