19 October 2007
The MEC for Health of the Eastern Cape, Mrs Nomsa Jajula, urged the
communities to support mentally ill people and take them to nearby clinics and
hospitals around the province to get medical assistance. Jajula was speaking at
a well-attended Mental Health Day celebration at Rottery Stadium at King Sabata
Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Mthatha on 18 October.
Even the rain could not deter masses from descending to the stadium. The
Tower Hospital was represented by the patients who braved the weather and waved
their banner in defiance of the heavy downpour.
She said the department organised this day as part of the World Mental
Health Day. Its purpose is to create awareness amongst the public about the
illnesses which affect mental health.
"Mental health affects the general health of an individual and vice versa.
If an individual is physically ill, that person may not be mentally well.
Similarly if someone is mentally ill, it will definitely have ill effects on
his or her body. This raises a question about what causes mental illness and
what interventions can be put in place to prevent and heal mental illness," she
said.
As part of government's intervention, the National Department of Health has
for the first time placed mental health on the top ten national priorities and
is mobilising resources for this special program. To ensure that these services
become more accessible to the poor communities, the provincial department has
set aside an amount of R130 million for the financial year 2007/08 and another
R150 million for 2008/09.
The department also intends to establish a 200 beds psychiatric institution
in Mount Ayliff and also intends to establish a Child Psychiatric unit in
Mthatha next year. There are about three psychiatric hospitals throughout the
province which are Fort England Hospital in Grahamstown, Komani Psychiatric
Hospital in Queenstown and Tower Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Fort
Beaufort and some district hospitals have psychiatric wards.
The department's operation Chola-Chola, a collaborative effort between the
Eastern Cape Department of Health and the South African Police Service, also
assists by directing mentally ill people from the streets to hospitals.
"Our role and core function as the department is to keep South African
people healthy," MEC Jajula said, much to the jubilation of the crowd.
Issued by: Department of Health, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
19 October 2007
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecdoh.gov.za)
