Loved ones can play a big part in helping a person recover, says Minister for Health

Minister for Health and Medical Service Rosy Akbar is urging people to look after family members with mental illness.

“Families have abandoned loved ones who become homeless because of their mental incapability and they end up on the streets or even at the St Giles Hospital.

“It is time to realise that the mental hospital is not the place where the person is to be kept for years or for a lifetime,” she said.

Ms Akbar said this during the World Mental Health Day celebrations at the St Giles Hospital in Suva, yesterday.

The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Dignity in Mental Health – Psychological and Mental Health First Aid for All’.

Ms Akbar said there are currently 15 residents at the St Giles Hospital who have been neglected by their families.

She also said that people with mental illnesses should not be rejected or neglected, but should be attended to in times of crisis and brought to the nearest health facility for assessment and treatment.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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