JEDDAH, 31 December — Faced with a growing number of mentally ill patients being rejected by their families, the authorities have called on the private sector to join a national effort aimed at building more care centers for these people.
A government committee set up to look into the matter said the number of psychiatric patients neglected by their families is on the rise for many reasons, while there are not enough facilities to take care of them.
Workers at the Jeddah Psychiatric Hospital attributed the phenomenon to the increasing pressures of modern life. In many families, working members do not find enough time to attend to the needs of their sick relatives.
“This is a major problem facing psychiatric hospitals and centers all over the Kingdom. The number of these patients is on the rise. Some patients have families but they are unable to give them adequate care. Others have no families or relatives to look after them. Many of these patients occupy hospital beds for long periods of time, denying others the chance of being admitted for treatment,” said Eid Saeed Al-Muhammadi, head of the social service and patient relations section at the hospital.
A memo by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) called for the cooperation of local businessmen in a project aimed at finding a solution to the issue in coordination with officials in the governorate and the Ministry of Health.
There are more than 14 hospitals and 28 specialized psychiatric clinics in the Kingdom supervised by the General Directorate of the Psychiatric Health of the Ministry of Health. And almost all private hospitals have psychiatric clinics.
The committee assigned to look into the matter is made up of representatives from the governorate and the ministries of finance and national economy, health, interior, and labor and social affairs. It has been assigned the task of studying how patients recuperating from mental illnesses should be treated. Its recommendations will go to the higher authorities for action.
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has written to JCCI citing the summary of meetings held by the committee which called for encouraging the private sector to contribute by building more care centers to accommodate these patients.
The letter also stressed the role of society in caring for this segment of the population, said Muhammad Abdullah Al-Sharif, JCCI assistant secretary-general for commercial and industrial affairs, in the memo sent to local businessmen.
Al-Muhammadi said each year the hospital receives from 10 to 15 patients rejected by their families. This accounts for around 12 percent of the capacity of the 120-bed hospital.
“If the situation continues like this, within a few years we will not be able to admit new patients because all hospital beds will be occupied by patients rejected by their families,” he said.
Al-Sharif added that they hoped that businessmen would respond by contributing to this humanitarian project and coordinate their efforts with the governorate and health and social affairs departments. This wish is shared by Al-Muhammadi, who said that Saudis are known for their compassion and care for those in society who are the most vulnerable.
Government officials, doctors and religious scholars have been stressing the need to protect the rights of the mentally ill by according them the treatment they need and working for their quick integration into the society.
The World Health Organization has included psychiatric health within its priority programs and will observe Oct. 10 as the International Day for Mental Health every year.
Families, friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbors and the general public have been urged to view mentally ill patients as ordinary patients who should be accorded the same treatment as the physically ill.
Emphasis was also laid on preventive medicine and religious therapy. Dr. Osama Al-Radhi, adviser to the International Islamic Society for Mental Health, said attending congregational prayers would help patients to communicate with others and integrate quickly into their surroundings.
Al-Muhammadi said their hospital recommended that the centers to be built by the private sector should be fully integrated care homes with accommodation, prayer halls and recreation facilities.
