Mohlomi Hospital’s design ‘not fit for purpose’

Ntsoaki Motaung

In a stark revelation to the parliament’s portfolio committee on the social cluster this week, officials have highlighted the dire state of Mohlomi Mental Hospital, emphasising that the facility is fundamentally unfit for its intended purpose.

“The hospital’s design is not for a mental institution, and a lot of work has to be done to make it at least up to standard,” Mosilo Mosehle from the Estate Management Unit of the Ministry of Health stated unequivocally.

“The hospital is different from other institutions I have seen in South Africa; it is nothing near the standard of a proper mental institution,” Mosehle added.

Her remarks came during an inspection by the committee aimed at evaluating the conditions of the hospital, which has been in operation for over 50 years.

The inspection brought to light numerous critical issues, including the outdated infrastructure and severe staff shortages, which severely hamper the hospital’s ability to provide adequate mental health care.

Dr. Tun Shwe Kyaw, Acting Director of the hospital, corroborated Mosehle’s assessment, stressing the urgent need for renovations.

“Renovations are critically needed for several sections, including the forensic ward and the male ward,” he said. He noted that the hospital’s challenges were compounded by consistently inadequate budget allocations.

“Mohlomi Mental Hospital only receives 1.8 percent of the health budget. Last year, we were allocated 8 million maloti, which was insufficient to address our needs,” Dr. Kyaw revealed.

The hospital’s structural inadequacies are further exacerbated by a severe shortage of specialised staff.

Dr. Kyaw highlighted that the Occupational Therapy Unit had been non-functional since the sole therapist retired in 2021, and the hospital has been operating without a Psychiatrist Specialist for about seven years.

“We need at least two Occupational Therapists, supplemented by two assistant Occupational Therapists,” he said. “Having at least one Psychiatrist Specialist would be very helpful.”

Senior Nursing Officer, Maholi Rampeta, indicated that the hospital management had requested to visit mental institutions in South Africa.

Rampeta explained that they aimed to understand what a proper mental institution should be like, to prepare for their policy strategy, and be ready if funding for constructing a new hospital becomes available.

Earlier this year, this publication reported that a litany of human rights violations, coupled with physical, verbal, and emotional violence, clouded Mohlomi Mental Hospital as patients recounted their traumatic experiences at the hands of nurses and staff.

Patients suffering from mental health illnesses and seeking help by checking into the hospital shared their harrowing experiences with Newsday but requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.

Some even claimed that their mental health conditions were worsened by the inhumane treatment they received at the hospital.

Established in 1965, Mohlomi Mental Hospital is a national referral hospital that provides care for patients transferred from the mental and treatment observation units within the ten (10) district hospitals.

But in the harrowing accounts shared by the patients who spoke to this publication, the ingredients of their ‘treatment’ were nothing short of a cruel concoction: a hearty dose of neglect, a sprinkle of abuse, and a dash of intimidation.

Far from receiving the compassionate care they desperately needed, they found themselves engulfed in a nightmare where the very place meant to heal them became their tormentor, leaving them battered and broken, with wounds that cut deeper than any physical affliction.