There was a time when i heard that the psychiatric unit of the RVTH was
allocated a plot of land and this was to be sponsored by the government of
Denmark.
Maybe Sheikh Tijan kan shed more light to this.
Matarr
>From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: FWD:Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
>Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 21:00:21 +0000
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: FWD:Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>All, this story is among many many others in the Gambia. This is the
>living
>that a majority of Gambians experience daily. The rotten system is
>grinding
>to a halt. However, we can change that if we the people want to. Are we
>willing to change our situation, that is the question. If so, our faith
>rest in our very hands.
>
>Chi Jaama
>
>Joe
>
>
> >From: Matarr Amadou Sallah <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: FWD:Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
> >Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 07:29:25 +0200
> >
> >Mo
> >Thanks for this very important forward but honestly this doesnt surprise
> >me.
> >In 1999 when i was in the gambia i took a trip to Campama to see the
> >working conditions down there. I am particularly interested in campama
> >because since 1994 i have been working at a psychiatric hospital and for
>14
> >years ihave been working with mentally retarded people.
> >I was in shock when i visited Campama, i was shown round by one Sister
> >Tamba, the only psychiatric nurse in the Gambia by then together with two
> >Nigerian ladies who were there for just a short period of time.
> >The living conditions in campama is the worst i have ever seen. It is the
> >first time in my life i see two patients of the same diagnosis or of
> >different diagnosis sharing a single bed. They sleep in sardine
> >position(one head up and the other head down) They smell each others
>feet.
> >At the rehabilitation unit, everything was at a standstill due to lack of
> >materials and tools. The patients were hanging around the big mango tree
> >and
> >some were just roaming about the backyard.
> >If thing have been going according to plan i am sure they should be able
>to
> >produce their own furniture or repair the little they have. Some of the
> >beds
> >were three legged and the fourth was supported but cement blocks.
> >When i came back to Norway after my holidays i contacted the boss at the
> >hospital where i work and explain the whole situation to her and
>expressed
> >how desperately they needed help. Unfortunately there wasnt much to do
> >because they have this agreement with the psychiatric hospital in st.
> >Petersburg in Russia.
> >
> >I am at work now and i really have to go but i promise i will write more
>on
> >this topic
> >
> >
> >Matarr
> >
> >
> >>From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> >><[log in to unmask]>
> >>To: [log in to unmask]
> >>Subject: FWD:Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
> >>Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 12:18:01 -0500
> >>
> >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>Sender: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> >> <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Poster: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Subject: FWD:Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>Campama "Madness" Reaches Crisis Point
> >>
> >>The Independent (Banjul)
> >>NEWS
> >>July 2, 2004
> >>Posted to the web July 6, 2004
> >>Banjul
> >>
> >>Campama Psychiatry's dearth of medicinal drugs to treat its mentally
> >>deranged patients has reached crisis point with violent inmates, being
> >>allowed to leave the country's only mental home, which is at its wits'
>end
> >>in dealing with the chronic shortage.
> >>
> >>Fresh reports reaching The Independent midweek allude to the fact that
>the
> >>overwhelming majority of Campama inmates with varying degree of mental
> >>imbalance have been released back to the community as Campama grapples
> >>with
> >>the chronically acute shortage of drugs to calm violent fits of
>patients.
> >>Reasons being ascribed for freeing the inmates include the chronic lack
>of
> >>medicines and what close relatives of some of the inmates called the
> >>skeletal staff who have been "mentally and physically overstretched" to
> >>look after over a hundred patients. According to these reports only a
> >>handful of inmates are left in the mental home, whose personnel recently
> >>made plaintive calls to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital for the
> >>provision of drugs to treat its neglected inmates. Due to the frequency
>of
> >>violence among inmates at Campama, the demand for nerve-calming drugs
>has
> >>been of permanent significance.
> >>
> >>"We understand and accept these reasons for these inmates being let out,
> >>but imagine the danger these sick people pose to the society, women and
> >>children especially. Many of these runaway Campama inmates can be seen
> >>roaming our markets and other public places. Are we to sit and wait for
> >>another disaster like the one which happened in Bakau, where two people
> >>were killed by a mentally deranged man just months ago" a concerned
> >>relative of one Campama inmate who wished to remain anonymous lamented.
> >>
> >>According to him, his brother who was mentally imbalanced had escaped
>from
> >>the Campama Psychiatric home months ago and was rehabilitated by his
> >>family, since at the time he had not shown any propensity for violence
>and
> >>was not therefore an apparent threat to anyone.
> >>
> >>"However, recently he has been quite violent and dangerous even for his
> >>own
> >>relatives. He is capable of doing harm and we took him back to Campama
>for
> >>him to be readmitted. To our utter surprise, we were told that the only
> >>mental home in the country no longer takes in patients. It left us
> >>completely flabbergasted," he explained, lamentably adding; "many other
> >>mentally disturbed patients have been allowed to leave the mental home
> >>with
> >>serious risks to society. Something must be done about it".
> >>
> >>He said the only positive response by the Department of State for Health
> >>should be the requisitioning of medical materials and medicines, which
> >>would see patients who have been allowed to rejoin society but still
>with
> >>mental deficiencies to be readmitted at the mental home.
> >>
> >>This development comes days after The Independent reported what it
>called
> >>the "cataclysmic" level to which the acute shortage of drugs to treat
> >>patients at the Campama hospital has reached. This dreary situation had
> >>prompted the psychiatric centre to stop admitting patients with advanced
> >>stages of mental illnesses as the RVTH allegedly failed to respond
> >>positively.
> >>
> >>Overwhelmed by the situation senior hospital staff thought the only
> >>prudent
> >>measure at their disposal was to suspend the admittance of more patients
> >>at
> >>the centre in the interim as they struggle to deal with the dearth in
> >>drugs, which according to sources the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital
>is
> >>not in a position to provide. Sources claimed that the decision not to
> >>admit patients was effected since May when the situation aggravated.
> >>
> >>A senior official at the psychiatric centre who wished to remain
>anonymous
> >>told The Independent that they had written to the RVTH management,
> >>communicating to them their concerns over the chronic lack of drugs
>there.
> >>He said the dispatch had conveyed their request for the teaching
>hospital
> >>to supply the psychiatric centre with drugs to deal with mental cases in
> >>the short term. The conditions in Campama are getting worse every day,
> >>they
> >>added.
> >>
> >>"A lot of patients are still being brought in although we are at pains
>to
> >>let the world know that little or no drugs are available to treat them,
> >>and
> >>we are facing problems to deal with them" he added. He also accused the
> >>RVTH of being negligent about conditions at the Campama, with its
> >>management team hardly even making routine inspections of the
>psychiatric
> >>centre, the only mental home in the country. "This can only amount to
>the
> >>fact that the RVTH does not care about what happens at the Campama" he
> >>protested.
> >>
> >>Another anonymous Campama staff also decried the state of the food being
> >>made available to inmates, which he described as "very poor and
>unhygienic
> >>diet". He said as a result patients hardly eat. The anonymous official
> >>further revealed that even the beds of the hospital were full of bed
>bugs,
> >>which make it difficult for inmates to sleep.
> >>
> >>"When we informed the RVTH management about these things they were never
> >>in
> >>the habit of responding positively" he claimed, adding that the doors in
> >>the hospital rooms are not in good shape, making it easy for people with
> >>mental problems to slip out without the knowledge of the hospital
> >>staff. "Two inmates were killed in motor traffic after they escaped from
> >>the compound this way" he explained.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> >>
> >>Copyright =A9 2004 The Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by
> >>AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
> >>----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> >>
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