21 Psychiatric Patient Care Assistants undergoing training

Oct 25, 2010 News

FORT CANJE, EAST BERBICE – Residents of the National Psychiatric Hospital at Fort Canje are soon to receive the love and attention they need in order to overcome their situation. To this end, 21 persons are now being trained as Psychiatric Patient Care Assistants.
An Official from the Ministry of Health said that the pilot programme would assist in providing a bigger, better family and a stronger support system for residents of the mental facility. The trainees would act as brothers and sisters to the patients, show affection and provide moral, physical and emotional support while the doctors and nurses focus on the medical aspect of their illness.

The students at work on one of their projects

The participants are being taught some amount of nursing skills and are receiving some psychiatric training including how to deal with aggressive, acute, chronic and non aggressive patients. These specially selected persons would be able to support the nurses and doctors and be able to manage the chalets. This would boost the quality of service offered at the institution and minimise the staff shortage problem. They are also expected to ensure that the personal hygiene of patients is taken care of among other things.
The Psychiatric Patient Care Assistant programme is the first of its kind and training is continuous. Initially the participants would spend six months in classroom and thereafter function in the position they are expected to as the training sessions progress.
Classes commenced during the first week in August at the National Psychiatric Hospital. At the end, successful participants would be presented with certificates along with a recommendation to fall into regular nursing programme.
Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy is to officially launch the programme later today. It was the brainchild of Minister Ramsammy, who in turn threw out the challenge to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Berbice Regional Health Authority, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo. The CEO in turn advertised the programme and the response was overwhelming. The persons were subsequently interviewed by a panel comprising Home Based Care Coordinator Dr. Vishalia Sharma, Psychiatrist Dr. G. Mayda, Senior Tutor and Coordinator of the programme, Sister Javitree Eugene, Public Relations Officer of the New Amsterdam Hospital Gloria Beharry along with Region Six Coordinator of Sprinkles, Padmini Deonarine in three separate sessions in July.
According to the Official, all of the trainees possess at least two subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination (CSEC) along with some experience in health care.
This initiative would go hand in hand with the new system in place at the National Psychiatric Hospital whereby stable long term residents are now being given the opportunity to regain their identity. These persons are soon to get their own rooms. In one of the chalets, the men took ownership and are transforming it into their home.
Many of the residents are better now; however, a large number has been rejected by their relatives. A study done in the late 1990s revealed that over 80 percent of patients at that time had been at the institution between 40 and 60 years. In 2008, an 84-year old man died after living at the National Psychiatric Hospital for 78 years.
The Ministry of Health is examining the possibility of acquiring forms of employment for the stable long-term residents after they would have completed the occupational therapy/rehabilitation programme. The Health Ministry is also paving the way for the facility to be self-sufficient. Another significant achievement of the mental institution is the new electronic database on each patient.
The National Psychiatric Hospital is home to some 144 residents, 60 percent of them are men. This year the theme for Mental Health Month, October, is ‘Be Active, Get Connected, Stay Involved’.