Mental health under pressure
Duration: 4min 28 sec
Transcript:
THANDEKA: Xa usebenza ngezigulane eziphazamisekileyo engqondweni kufuneka ube nononophelo nonyamezelo utsho uStanley Basson ummongikazi oncedisana neziguli zengqondo ePoffader. Uqeqesho awalufumana eLenteguer kiwsibhedlele sengqondo eKapa lwamnceda ukuba akwazi ukwenza umsebenzi wakhe ngokuzethemba.
Translation: Dealing with mental health patients needs time and perseverance says Stanley Basson a professional nurse who assists in the psychiatry clinic at Poffader. The psychiatry training he received at the Lentegeur Psychiatry Hospital in Cape Town has helped him to run the psychiatry clinic and cope with his duties.
STANLEY BASSON: We are basically doing everything here but we are seeing psychiatric patients as well. Our patients, most of them are chronic patients. They are visiting the clinic on monthly basis. We assess them and see how they are doing on the medication. We give out medication and wherever they have problems we let them come back and assess them. If we need to refer them to a psychiatrist we do so.
Translation: Senza wonke umsebenzi wobongikazi apha sikwabona nezigulane zengqondo. Izigulane zethu uninzi lwazo zizigulane zinophazamiseko ziye zize rhoqo ngeyanga. Siye sihleli ngokujonga rhoqo ukuba izigulane imeko yazo intle khonukuze sizokubona ukuba ziqhuba njani kumachiza azo. Siye sizinike amachiza xa zifumana ingxaki siye sizikhuthaze ukuba zibuye zize apha xa kukho isidingo siye sizidlulisele kwizibhedlele ezikhulu.
THANDEKA: Ukunqongophala kwemisebenzi nokusetyenziswa kweziyobisi notywala ngokugqithisileyo kuyinto evamileyo yaye nexhalabisayo nethi ibe negalelo kwizigulo zengqondo. Lo wakwa Basson uthi sele kuyiminyaka emithathu qwaba baqalisa ukuhlanganisa icandelo lezengqondo nonyango loluntu kodwa kunjalo ingxaki abanayo kukunqongophala kwabasebenzi bezempilo.
Translation: Unemployment, drugs and alcohol abuse are widespread in the province and are a contributing factor to mental health problems. Basson says it’s been three solid years since they started integrating psychiatry and primary health care but they don’t have enough staff.
STANLEY BASSON:I think alcohol and drug abuse are the main problem or causes of the mental illnesses and poverty as well. I think if one can really get control of the main causes I mean problems will become less. If we can get psychologists that kind of people who can assist you in this kind of problems things will be running smooth. We don’t have psychologists we only have one psychiatrist, which is stationed in Kimberley Psychiatric Hospital. Basically we use our community doctor so basically we are sharing information between us if we have to refer a patient we send them to the psychiatric for evaluation. We make use of our ambulances and our local police assist us in transport our patients to that facility.
Translation: Ndicinga ukuba ukusetyenziswa kotywala neziyobisi ngabona nobangela kwizigulo zengqondo nendlala nayo ine galelo. Ndicinga ukuba kungakhe kuqwalaselwe ekunqandeni ezona ngxaki ezingundonqo kwizigulo zengqondo lonto inganciphisa iingxaki zesi sigulo. Ukuba singanoogqirha bezengqondo aboneleyo nabantu abanokuncedana neziguli zengqondo izinto zingahamba kakuhle. Sinayo ipsychologist umntu oqeqeshelwe ukujongana nokululeka imo yengqondo sinaye ugqirha wezigulo zengqondo omnye ose Kimberley kwisibhedlele Sengqondo. Siye sisebenzise ugqirha wethu wasekuhlaleni nalapho siye sichazelane ngengcombolo xa kufuneka sidlulisele isigulane ukuba siyokuvavanyelwa isigulo sengqondo. Siye sisebenzise izithuthi zezigulane siye sincediswe nangamapoisa endawo ukuthutha izigulane.
THANDEKA: Ukuba ke izigulane kufuneka zihambe imigama emide ukuyokufumana uncedo ingaba ke le kliniki imelana njani nezigulane ezifuna ingqwalasela engxamisekileyo kwizigulo zengqondo?
Translation: If patients have to travel long distances to get psychiatric help, then how does this clinic cope with patients who need immediate attention in cases of mental health emergency cases?
STANLEY BASSON: First if our doctor is available she assists us in assessing that patient if we need to give immediate medication we do so. We do have protocols where we handle these kinds of patients with acute attacks psychotic attacks or suicidal tendencies. The acute psychotics especially the ones who were previously treated we certified that kind of patients and we send them to psychiatric in Kimberley. According to the Mental Health Act, patients who do not have insight into their condition we are using the Article12 to certify the patient. Which means the patient needs to be certified by two medical practitioners and the magistrate is part of the certifying process and a professional nurse or one of the family members can also give the information for certifying that patient that he is mentally ill and he doesn’t have insight in his condition that is all it is all about.
Translation: Kuxhomekeka kuqala ukuba ugqirha uyafumaneka ukusincedisa ekujongeni ukuba isigulane kufuneka sisinike amachiza ngokukhawulezileyo. Sinayo imigaqo apho sithi sijongane nezimeko ezithi zihlaselwe ngesiqhuphe sisigulo sophazmiseko engqondweni nabo bathi babe nezimbo zokufuna ukuzibulala. Neyinto engumvuka kuba ubani wayeka ukuthabatha amachiza akhe xa wayenyangelwa esi sigulo sengqondo. Siye sibathumele eKimberley. Ngokomthetho weZeMpilo izigulane ezingenalwazi ngokuqhubekayo ebomi bazo kuba zimnkelwe yingqondo siye sisebenzise lomthetho nothi ezi zigulane kufuneka zibhalisiwe njengabantu abangenamqondo. Oku kubhaliswa kuye kwenziwe ngabasenzi bezempilo ababini noMantyi nomongikazi omnye onkuba lilungu losapho elinye linganikezela ngenkcazelo yokuba ngenene isigulane eso siyagula ngengqondo.
THANDEKA: Lo wakwa Basson uthi ukungatyiwa kwamachiza ngendlela zizigulane oko kuzitsalisa nzima ezo zigulane ekoyiseni esi sigulo sezengqondo.
Translation: Basson says lack of adherence to drugs by patients makes it difficult for them to overcome their mental illnesses.
STANLEY BASSON: The problem is not that big because most of our patients they are chronic so they are on medication for years. They default and they don’t take any medication that is why they become ill again. They become very psychotic, aggressive, out of control and this is the kind of the patients we certify. We do keep a register in the clinic where we see everyone is visiting the clinic during that specific month and we can get it from there if there are any patients, which have defaulted. Sometimes we make contact with their families and tell them the patient was not at the clinic for this specific month. We then get hold of the patient to come back to the clinic and basically give them the treatment.
Translation: Akukho ngxaki ingako kuba zonke izigulane zethu bezisele zifumana unyango kakade nto nje ziye zishiye phakathi neyinto ezenza ziquqe zibuyele kwimo yokugula kwakhona. Ziye zibe nempambano emandla, zibe ndlongondlongo olu hlobo lwezigulane lulo esithi silubhalise njengabantu abagula ngengqondo. Siye sigcine uxwebhloluhlu lwamagama ezigulane esizibonayo kwikliniki yethu. Siye sikwazi ukubona ke ukuba kuye kwakho ingxaki yokuba ubani ahambe kakubi ikliniki nabo bathi bashiye phantsi. Ngelinye ixesha siye sinxulumane nosapho
Siluxelele ukuba isigulane akhange sifike ekliniki kwinyanga ethile. Siye sifune isigulane sisibuyisele ekliniki sisiqalise ngonyango.
THANDEKA: UBasson uthi badinga icandelo lezengqondo kufuphi nedolophana yabo kuba kuthatha ithuba elide ukubhalisa ngokugqimfiza izigulane ezigula ngengqondo.
Translation: Basson says a psychiatric unit is needed near their small town because it takes too long for patients to be certified.
STANLEY BASSON: Maybe to establish a unit nearby where we can handle those patients in our area because sometimes the time between certifying and sending the patient to Kimberley Hospital sometimes it can take up to two weeks before that patient reach there. But we do it as soon as possible we try to arrange within two to three days so that a patient can get to the hospital. If we can have somebody or a person or a unit where we can treat patients in this area that will be something great. Even if it’s psychiatrist just to stabilize them (patients) we don’t have that facility to treat the patients here when they are acute psychotic.
Translation: Mhlawumbi ukuvulwa kwecandelo kufuphi singakwazi ukujongana nezigulane kwinginqi yethu kuba ngamanye amaxesha kuthatha ixesha elide ukuthumela isigulane eKimberley xa kufuneka isbhaliselwe ukugula kwaso. Ingaya kwiiveki ezimbini phambi kokuba sifike apho kodwa siye sizame ukukhawulezisa kangangoko sinako siwenze lomsebezni kwintsuku ezimbini ukuya kwezintathu nesigulane sikwazi ukuyokufika ngethuba esibhedlele. Ukuba ke singanomntu okanye icandelo kwalapha apho singanyanga khona izigulane ingayinto entle leyo kuba asinazixhobo zokujongana neziguli ezixakileyo ngokwesigulo sengqondo.
E-mail Thandeka Teyise
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Mental health under pressure
by Health-e News, Health-e News
July 1, 2004