By Hind Al-Mutairi
DURING my recent visit to Taif I noticed that a large number of mentally sick patients were wandering in streets without any restriction, causing harm to themselves and the public. We can see such people in every district of Saudi Arabia. Most of them are abandoned by their relatives who do not take them to hospital for treatment fearing it would affect their reputation.
But the sudden increase in the number of these mentally deranged people in the town, blocking cars and causing harm to passersby was really alarming. I asked an official of the Mental Health Hospital in Taif the reason for this strange phenomenon. His answer was surprising. He told me that the hospital has been closed for the last three years for maintenance and expansion and that some of its patients have been sent out due to lack enough beds in the emergency ward.
He explained that the patients were set free because their relatives did not come to receive them. Hospital records show that the patients were allowed to venture out of the facility alone. How can they set free mentally sick patients without thinking about its hazards and consequences?
These patients wander in streets and roads and cause problems to the public including children. They sleep along streets and depend on food provided by philanthropists. Some of them stand near traffic signals like beggars to get assistance from motorists.
The government has spent thousands of riyals on treatment of these patients and it goes in vain as these patients will not be able to help themselves and safeguard their health because of their mental condition. I have written this article based on the information I have got in order to draw attention of authorities to take quick corrective action.
Is it acceptable to allow a mentally sick patient to leave hospital alone? If the move was acceptable why did they delay it until the hospital was closed for maintenance? I don’t know whether the Health Ministry faces any problem for the maintenance of this mental health facility — Shihar Hospital — as it was delayed for several years.
I don’t know how these patients who left the hospital without any relative and shelter and how they live? We know that most of these patients are incapacitated and will join those mad people who have been abandoned by their families and who have been wandering in streets.
This situation will certainly cause a big problem for the public. Families have to caution their children about these patients to be aware of them while going to and return from school.
I believe that the ministry has a medical and legal responsibility to take care of these patients, instead of leaving them to wander in the streets, threatening public security. These patients need care, medicine and protection. If these patients are unable to merge with society their condition will become bad to worse and cause bigger mental and legal problems in future.
