Accra Psychiatric Hospital Male convalescent ward: Cry for urgent attention
I have never visited a condemned cell and I pray I never will.
On the other hand ,however, I prayed to visit one day, the male convalescent ward of the psychiatric hospital in Accra, an adopted ward by my church’s Women’s Fellowship Group.
My prayer was heard and I visited with a group the other Saturday. I grieved in my heart even before we alighted from the vehicle.
My understanding of a convalescent ward is simple and perhaps, good news too – the patients are on the road to full recovery and sooner, an opportunity to go back to their families and be integrated fully into society.
For any normal and well-functioning health institution, a convalescent ward should rather have some aesthetics and beautification that would facilitate patient rehabilitation.
Transfers to such wards give hope and joy.
That joy which can improve a patient’s state of mind and directly or indirectly his or her medical condition for the better.
Additionally, there is also the joy emanating from a positive mindset that the patient is on his or her way home.
Ambience
One would envisage that the ambience in and around a recovery facility would be one intentionally created with beauty - colourful paintings, lots of flowers and plants and lots of greens.
What follows next is tidiness and overall, well-kept environment.
Unfortunately, that is a far cry for the fee-paying psychiatric male convalescent ward visited on that Saturday.
What first strikes a visitor is a dejected facility, a place where families come, dump their relations and abandon them to their fate.
That should not be the impression.
The entire environment was seriously overgrown with weeds.
For a moment, the feeling was that one was in a condemned cell for criminals who need neither pity nor benevolence. It was even more disappointing to learn that it was a fee paying facility.
The feeling of future or immediate wellness was not to be felt in a place like what one saw, even from outside.
As we waited in our vehicle that morning, a contact was made with the male nurse on duty who came out with a couple of the patients to welcome us and help us carry the foods, toiletries and detergents we had brought for them.
One’s immediate sympathy went to the doctors and nurses who work in such deplorable health facilities.
They need to be commended for their commitment working in such an environment and still keep their sanity.
Their devotion to the patients as one saw was impressive.
Communication was cordial.
Interactions
The interactions that went on were good, especially between the female nurses and the patients, some of them so well built, one’s mind swayed to an “if something happened” situation.
I approached one of the female nurses to have a chat regarding their safety and security and her response which impressed me was, “God’s grace is always with us in this place”.
With the exception of a couple of the patients who were excessively hyperactive, maybe an act of over excitement to see us, they all joined us in singing praise songs with some moving their feet to dance, sometimes singing completely out of tune.
As one headed back to our vehicle, the appalling environment outside the ward hit back once again as we all pondered, “how much will it cost the Ministry of Health to clear the weeds and plant some flowers and trees,”?
In actual fact, one was encouraged, as we entered the main gate, to see the authorities of the hospital have started repainting parts of the hospital from the main entrance. We all then started talking about why same action could not be extended to the male convalescent ward.
The beauty of painting should be extended to other areas of the medical facility.
While the Mental Health Authority may not be necessarily directly responsible, it is appropriate to bring to the authority’s notice how a simple fix could bring joy and comfort to visitors, patients and the medical staff.
Through the authority, the hospital’s management or better still, the Ministry of Health may respond quicker than normal.
The question would always be asked, how much would it take for the place to be kept decent, attending regularly to the unkempt environment which could attract dangerous reptiles and other unwanted creatures that lurk around in those conditions?
While none of us would leave the environment of our homes or businesses unattended, to the extent of overgrown weeds, one is pleading, in case it is an oversight, that a gardener’s help is most needed at the male convalescent ward of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The safety and comfort of the inmates and all those who work or visit must be taken into consideration and the needful done.
And while we are on it, touches of painting both outside and inside of the ward would bring much beauty to the ward which seems to have been crying for a needed attention. How much of concern is it to the hospitals authorities?
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