FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Abdul Jalloh was the only psychiatrist in Sierra Leone when he took over the country’s only hospital on the outskirts of the capital. Now six years later, the young doctor is leading a revolution in mental health services in West Africa.
He ended the practice of tying patients to their beds, and has worked hard to attract new talent with the help of a US-based non-profit organization that has invested millions of dollars, along with the government of Sierra Leone.
The hospital now has three fully qualified psychiatrists and seven doctors in a new residency training program, the first in the country’s history. The hospital also added nine specialized mental health nurses, as well as addiction specialists, clinical psychologists and occupational therapists for a total of 135 employees.
During a recent visit by the Associated Press, an Afrobeats song was played during a boys’ soccer game on the field. They were all patients, many being treated for drug addiction.
That incident would have been unheard of before Jalloh took over.
The hospital was once known by the locals as the “Crase Yard,” or the yard of the insane.” It is now known as the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital. new popularity.
“We were able to change the face of these devices,” Jalloh said in an interview. “From a place where people were ashamed to bring their family members, a place where even health workers were afraid to come to work… to a place where the country is proud. “
The change was supported by the American non-profit organization Partners In Health which has invested millions to renovate the hospital including providing training, equipment and services. A new building opened in mid-June as a rehabilitation center for people who use drugs.
But there is little medical help for those living in other parts of the country outside Freetown. The Ministry of Health established mental health units in all 14 states of the country about a decade ago, but few are functioning as planned due to lack of staff. trained and other equipment.
Many people still turn to traditional healers or religious people for help, as many mental health conditions are associated with spiritual or demonic forces.
The population of Sierra Leone remains vulnerable as a result of the more than decade-long civil war that began in the 1990s. The prevalence of work, poverty and other problems also affect mental health, helping to contribute to the increasing rates of addiction to the locally produced drug known as kush.
There are also many problems with the management of mental health services.
Joshua Abioseh Duncan, head of the Mental Health Coalition of Sierra Leone, a mental health advocacy group, says the country’s long-running review of the 1902 Lunacy Act undermines mental health issues – and disenfranchises people. basic – contributes to the low level of funds and resources.
He said: “The current law treats people with mental health problems as deviants who should be excluded from society.”
Few medical students in Sierra Leone are taking up psychiatry because of the lack of training opportunities and the low salaries associated with the job, he added.
The government is taking some measures in cooperation with international organizations. The Ministry of Health implements a World Health Organization training program that aims to help health workers identify and manage common mental health problems such as depression, substance use substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. The first 50 employees took a four-day course in June.
Sierra Leone’s director of mental health at the ministry declined to comment to the AP.
“Changing mental health is a long game, it takes time,” said Giuseppe Raviola, director of Partners In Health, who also set up a mental health helpline in Sierra Leone last year for counseling and advice. “Part of what takes time is not only building local capacity, but also making sure that services are compatible with cultural beliefs and practices, and that things are run locally.”
Jalloh first came to the psychiatric hospital for training during his fourth year of medical school and was surprised by the conditions.
He told his friends he was going to be a psychiatrist, which they thought was a joke. It is known that this profession makes little money and often fails to cure its patients. But after three years, he returned to the hospital and vowed to keep it out of harm’s way.
Despite the change in hospital, Jalloh says the increase in addiction has taken a toll on his mental health. The hospital continues to face challenges including the lack of security personnel to prevent patients from scaling the walls to buy drugs.
As you can see, I am not well. There are many problems. We don’t have the capacity to deal with the (kush) crisis, considering human resources, infrastructure, medicine,” he said. It is a big challenge and a big burden for us.
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Associated Press reporter Jessica Donati in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.
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