Date: 13/07/2006
Source: Department of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Mental Illness Awareness Month
Speech by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, on Mental Illness Awareness Month at Weskoppies Hospital
Programme Director,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I would like to thank all of you for making time to join us this morning during this visit to Weskoppies Hospital.
We have a critical task during this month of July to increase awareness about mental illnesses. We have a duty to transform mental health services to ensure that they comply with the culture of human rights that has been ushered in through the introduction of the Mental Health Care Act.
The Department of Health has made significant progress in complying with the Act and improving the mental health services.
We were able to meet the deadline to designate health establishments to function as mental health facilities that provide care, treat and rehabilitate for state patients and mentally ill prisoners.
All provinces have established Mental Health Review Boards and I am glad that I have this opportunity to meet all of you as board members this morning. These boards are independent bodies charged in terms of the Mental Health Care Act to oversee care, treatment and rehabilitation of those who were admitted without consent.
We have trained health professionals on various new procedures and processes that were introduced by the Act. There is a need to continue with this training to ensure our staff understand and adhere to the new procedures for admission, referral, reviews, etc.
An easy to use procedure manual for all health professionals is being developed and a manual to assist the heads of provincial health departments and mental health facilities have been printed. We are also printing procedure manual relating to management of state patients to assist staff in handling these cases in line with the Act.
We have worked with South African Police Service (SAPS) to develop an order that will direct the conduct of police in dealing with mental health patients.
Programme Director, I can say with much confidence that we have been decisive in dealing with challenges of non-compliance to national norms and standards.
At Fort Napier Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal we appointed a committee to investigate the allegations of abuse. Disciplinary measures were taken and matters relating to criminal justice system were referred to the SAPS.
We closed down the Libode Mental Health facility which is attached to St Barnabas Hospital in the Eastern Cape because of poor conditions and lack of compliance. Patients from that facility were transferred to Umtata Mental Health facility.
You will recall that last year we shut down some sections of the mental health unit at George Mukari Hospital in Garankuwa and transferred patients to this hospital. While there have been much improvements in the infrastructure at George Mukari, there is need to put up proper toilet facilities for the seclusion rooms. We hope that the hospital will comply with all the requirements soon.
In each case of lack of compliance, provinces have been requested to urgently mobilise resources to improve compliance including revitalisation of the facility. A good example was at Town Hill Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal where major revitalisation work was done to improve compliance with norms and standards within a few months.
While we continue to make progress in improving the environment for mental health patients, there are challenges of human resources that we have to tackle particularly relating to the availability of forensic psychiatrists. Forensic psychiatric observation is an intensive work requiring specialist skills.
As part of the implementation of the Human Resources Plan for Health, we are engaging with institutions of higher learning to find measures to attract people into specialising in forensic psychiatry. We need to find measures to make this field of study and practice attractive to young psychiatrists and increase capacity of universities to produce more of these specialists. While we seek long term solutions to this challenge, we are working on establishing more efficient means of observation to enable forensic psychiatrists to form an opinion much quicker on whether a person referred by courts is fit to stand trial.
Weskoppies Hospital is one of the facilities that are at the forefront in complying with the new era introduced by the Mental Healthcare Act. The hospital has complied with most of the minimum requirements for mental health services as we have seen during our visit here. They also have complaints mechanism which enables patients and interested parties to raise issues relating to service delivery. These are issues that now and again get reported in the media mainly because there is an opportunity to report and complaints are being dealt with.
It is for these reasons that we thought it was important to bring you here as members of Mental Health Review Boards to view this facility before you convene for your two-day workshop at Kopanong Conference Centre later today.
The theme for this year’s July Mental Illness Awareness Month is “Partnership in Human Rights for Mental Health.” This theme is relevant for the dialogue that will be taking place at the workshop. Our Constitution and Mental Health Care Act gives our people including vulnerable groups such as those people with mental disorders and their families, hope for a better life.
Mental disorders are inextricably linked to human rights issues. Mental health care users and their families are affected by stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. They are by and large still facing limitations to social equity, equal opportunity and care.
Many of these limitations are a direct result of the neglect and inhuman laws of the past. Mental health care services lacked a human rights culture, were fragmented, under-resourced and were inequitably distributed. There was reliance on chronic custodial treatment in large centralised institutions.
In keeping with the spirit of our Constitution, we all are under an obligation to correct the transgressions and prevent further abuses. Mental health care users deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They are particularly vulnerable to abuse and violation of rights. In this regard, the Mental Health Care Act is aimed at promoting the rights of persons with mental disorders. We want to provide an appropriate environment within which care, rehabilitation and aftercare can take place. We believe in full integration of people with mental disorders into community life and we should promote mental health in different sectors of society.
Involuntary or compulsory admissions to mental health facilities and involuntary treatment for those incapable of making informed decisions are controversial as they impinge on personal liberty and the right to choose and they carry the risk of abuse.
On the other hand, assisted or involuntary admission and treatment can prevent harm to oneself and others and assist some people in attaining their rights to health care which due to their mental disorder they may be unable to manage voluntarily. Involuntary care will remain necessary for a minority of patients who suffer from mental disorders.
To ensure that the system is not abused, the Act has set out stringent requirements for admission of assisted or involuntary patients. The boards are there to monitor and ensure that regular and time bound reviews of assisted or involuntary patients are done. It is crucial that as soon as a patient does not meet the criteria for assisted or involuntary admissions, that patient be treated as voluntary.
We must work tirelessly to change the practice from the past that mental health care users could be locked in hospitals and unilateral decisions taken on their care, treatment and rehabilitation. Mental health care users should be allowed to challenge these decisions.
Mental health care users can be rehabilitated and integrated into community life. We are fully cognisant of the fact that this approach requires a collaboration of different stakeholders and sectors.
That is why during this Mental Illness Awareness Month, we are making a call to different role players to play their role and contribute towards full compliance with the Mental Health Care Act.
Our message today is; “In partnership with all stakeholders and role players, we can work together to ensure a better life for millions of people suffering from mental disorders.”
I therefore urge all of us to unite and advocate for the rights of our people.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Health
13 July 2006
Source: Department of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Mental Illness Awareness Month
Speech by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, on Mental Illness Awareness Month at Weskoppies Hospital
Programme Director,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I would like to thank all of you for making time to join us this morning during this visit to Weskoppies Hospital.
We have a critical task during this month of July to increase awareness about mental illnesses. We have a duty to transform mental health services to ensure that they comply with the culture of human rights that has been ushered in through the introduction of the Mental Health Care Act.
The Department of Health has made significant progress in complying with the Act and improving the mental health services.
We were able to meet the deadline to designate health establishments to function as mental health facilities that provide care, treat and rehabilitate for state patients and mentally ill prisoners.
All provinces have established Mental Health Review Boards and I am glad that I have this opportunity to meet all of you as board members this morning. These boards are independent bodies charged in terms of the Mental Health Care Act to oversee care, treatment and rehabilitation of those who were admitted without consent.
We have trained health professionals on various new procedures and processes that were introduced by the Act. There is a need to continue with this training to ensure our staff understand and adhere to the new procedures for admission, referral, reviews, etc.
An easy to use procedure manual for all health professionals is being developed and a manual to assist the heads of provincial health departments and mental health facilities have been printed. We are also printing procedure manual relating to management of state patients to assist staff in handling these cases in line with the Act.
We have worked with South African Police Service (SAPS) to develop an order that will direct the conduct of police in dealing with mental health patients.
Programme Director, I can say with much confidence that we have been decisive in dealing with challenges of non-compliance to national norms and standards.
At Fort Napier Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal we appointed a committee to investigate the allegations of abuse. Disciplinary measures were taken and matters relating to criminal justice system were referred to the SAPS.
We closed down the Libode Mental Health facility which is attached to St Barnabas Hospital in the Eastern Cape because of poor conditions and lack of compliance. Patients from that facility were transferred to Umtata Mental Health facility.
You will recall that last year we shut down some sections of the mental health unit at George Mukari Hospital in Garankuwa and transferred patients to this hospital. While there have been much improvements in the infrastructure at George Mukari, there is need to put up proper toilet facilities for the seclusion rooms. We hope that the hospital will comply with all the requirements soon.
In each case of lack of compliance, provinces have been requested to urgently mobilise resources to improve compliance including revitalisation of the facility. A good example was at Town Hill Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal where major revitalisation work was done to improve compliance with norms and standards within a few months.
While we continue to make progress in improving the environment for mental health patients, there are challenges of human resources that we have to tackle particularly relating to the availability of forensic psychiatrists. Forensic psychiatric observation is an intensive work requiring specialist skills.
As part of the implementation of the Human Resources Plan for Health, we are engaging with institutions of higher learning to find measures to attract people into specialising in forensic psychiatry. We need to find measures to make this field of study and practice attractive to young psychiatrists and increase capacity of universities to produce more of these specialists. While we seek long term solutions to this challenge, we are working on establishing more efficient means of observation to enable forensic psychiatrists to form an opinion much quicker on whether a person referred by courts is fit to stand trial.
Weskoppies Hospital is one of the facilities that are at the forefront in complying with the new era introduced by the Mental Healthcare Act. The hospital has complied with most of the minimum requirements for mental health services as we have seen during our visit here. They also have complaints mechanism which enables patients and interested parties to raise issues relating to service delivery. These are issues that now and again get reported in the media mainly because there is an opportunity to report and complaints are being dealt with.
It is for these reasons that we thought it was important to bring you here as members of Mental Health Review Boards to view this facility before you convene for your two-day workshop at Kopanong Conference Centre later today.
The theme for this year’s July Mental Illness Awareness Month is “Partnership in Human Rights for Mental Health.” This theme is relevant for the dialogue that will be taking place at the workshop. Our Constitution and Mental Health Care Act gives our people including vulnerable groups such as those people with mental disorders and their families, hope for a better life.
Mental disorders are inextricably linked to human rights issues. Mental health care users and their families are affected by stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. They are by and large still facing limitations to social equity, equal opportunity and care.
Many of these limitations are a direct result of the neglect and inhuman laws of the past. Mental health care services lacked a human rights culture, were fragmented, under-resourced and were inequitably distributed. There was reliance on chronic custodial treatment in large centralised institutions.
In keeping with the spirit of our Constitution, we all are under an obligation to correct the transgressions and prevent further abuses. Mental health care users deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They are particularly vulnerable to abuse and violation of rights. In this regard, the Mental Health Care Act is aimed at promoting the rights of persons with mental disorders. We want to provide an appropriate environment within which care, rehabilitation and aftercare can take place. We believe in full integration of people with mental disorders into community life and we should promote mental health in different sectors of society.
Involuntary or compulsory admissions to mental health facilities and involuntary treatment for those incapable of making informed decisions are controversial as they impinge on personal liberty and the right to choose and they carry the risk of abuse.
On the other hand, assisted or involuntary admission and treatment can prevent harm to oneself and others and assist some people in attaining their rights to health care which due to their mental disorder they may be unable to manage voluntarily. Involuntary care will remain necessary for a minority of patients who suffer from mental disorders.
To ensure that the system is not abused, the Act has set out stringent requirements for admission of assisted or involuntary patients. The boards are there to monitor and ensure that regular and time bound reviews of assisted or involuntary patients are done. It is crucial that as soon as a patient does not meet the criteria for assisted or involuntary admissions, that patient be treated as voluntary.
We must work tirelessly to change the practice from the past that mental health care users could be locked in hospitals and unilateral decisions taken on their care, treatment and rehabilitation. Mental health care users should be allowed to challenge these decisions.
Mental health care users can be rehabilitated and integrated into community life. We are fully cognisant of the fact that this approach requires a collaboration of different stakeholders and sectors.
That is why during this Mental Illness Awareness Month, we are making a call to different role players to play their role and contribute towards full compliance with the Mental Health Care Act.
Our message today is; “In partnership with all stakeholders and role players, we can work together to ensure a better life for millions of people suffering from mental disorders.”
I therefore urge all of us to unite and advocate for the rights of our people.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Health
13 July 2006
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