Neuro Psychiatric Hospital in Kaduna Can Handle Drug, Substance Abuse in the North – MD
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Following the discovery and subsequent shutdown of some rehabilitation centres for carrying out cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment on their patients, in different parts of Northern Nigeria, the Medical Director, Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna has said that the hospital have the capacity to address issues of drug and substance abuse and other mental health challenges in the region.
The MD, Professor AbdulKareem Jika Yusuf, who stated this on Tuesday when he received some journalists in his office who were there on a tour of the hospital facilities, added that the centre is using a globally accepted approach in attending to, and treating her patients, adding that the hospital have the capacity to accommodate high number of patients that would be admitted.
The police in Kaduna and Katsina States had in the last three weeks raided three major rehabilitation centres in Kaduna and Daura rescuing over 747 people who are mainly young persons, allegedly being raped, sodomised and molested by their handlers.
Analysts are in the wake of recent development raising concerns about the custody and treatment of those being rescued by the government because it doesn’t seems there are alternatives place of care for them.
But Professor Yusuf, assures that the Neuro Psychiatric Hospital have the capacity to handle their cases if government would bring them to the facility, saying “we have been attending to patients and whoever comes to the hospital will be attended to and the hospital is ever ready to provide services that it have been providing. Our core mandate is services, teaching and research. And we will continue to do that.
“But I want to believe that if they approach this center, we are ever ready to attend to the patients in an acceptable way without any discrimination of either gender, religion or any other way. We are ever ready to offer services to whoever come to us.
“we are always working, we are always attending to patients within necessary different. We have catchment areas covering from northwest and north central zones of the country. So we are here for everybody to come and receive treatment in our facility.
“And I can assure you that we treat people in a convenient way that is obtainable all over the world. Admission here is voluntary, our patients may decide to terminate at any time or request for discharge against medical advise.
“The truth is that people have right to refuse treatment and they have freedom of choice of what they want. If anyone come to this hospital we will welcome him and our doors are widely open. But we can not go and drag somebody to be admitted into our hospital.”
Professor AbdulKareem Jika Yusuf, MD Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna.
He said though hospital has 120 bed capacity, and bringing more than 470 people may overstretch the facility, but that will not stop the centre from offering services to them. He added “it may interest you to know that we have modern drugs rehabilitation program which carter for people that needs such treatment. We have 11 consultants psychiatrist that will be able to offer services to such people. So, is not something new to us. Is not everyone of them that will require admission, some will get well and return home.
“We have more than 100 nurses, we have social workers, we have psychologists and all the support staff that are required for the treatment of people with drugs use, we have them in this hospital. And this hospital is ever ready, that’s why it’s established by government to provide care for people with drug abuse and addiction problems, with other people with other psychiatric problems.”
The Medical Director, therefore call on government to accord priority to the health sector, while also appealing for the expansion of infrastructures in the hospital to allow it have more space to accommodate more number of patients.
“One of the saddest thing is that government accord low priority towards the health services. Government alone can not do it, other people has to come into it, philanthropist has to come to it. Because what is required is more than what the government can provide. Everyday the rate of suicide, drug abuse is increasing, at such we need to be very proactive to tackle this problems. And that will require a sectoral collaboration.
“You can not identify just one cause to mental illness, but various sickness has their own causes. Raising from generic and social factor, economic factor and environmental Factors. So, it depends on the type of case we are talking about. For instance, if we look at the issue of drug addiction which is the main topic of the day. Its a very serious problem and a menace in the country. Especially in the northwestern part of the country and is affecting a lot of families.
“The cause of drugs abuse or addiction is multi factorial, ranging from genetics, family issues, unemployment and so many factors. So you can see that is everybody’s business, its not just the government’s business or only the hospital’s business. Its something that requires multi sectoral collaboration which include community leaders, religious leaders, organizations and hospitals in order to tackle this menace. He noted.
