Astronomical prices are pushing people to the brink

Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com

Astronomical prices are pushing people to the brink

Posted in: Sports, Health & Lifestyle
Written By: Thuria Ghaleb
Article Date: Apr 8, 2008 - 8:17:36 AM

These patients are enjoying walking in the hospital garden during their leisure time.

The recent increase in the cost of many essential goods is placing a heavy burden on Yemeni families, in addition to placing additional strain on Yemen’s over-stretched mental care facilities, as many poor people struggle to make ends meet and lose their sanity.

“I cannot say that such result is truly confirmed because we do not have medical studies, but we do observe that a number of new psychiatric patients are admitted to this hospital after every price increase,” said Dr. Abdul-Wassa’ al-Wasa’i, manager of al-Amel Psychiatric Hospital. “There is a strong relationship between psychiatric diseases and poor socioeconomic conditions, including price changes of essential goods,” he said.

People on the street think that the astronomical price change is the main reason which leads many people, especially men, to become psychiatric patients. “Believe me, I felt crazy and started talking to myself when I knew that the price of bread doubled from YR10 to YR20, and the cost of one egg increased from YR20 to YR30,” said Fathia al-Matari, a nurse with five children. “Sometimes, I feel I may lose my mind as I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can support my children with my meager salary in this time of high terrible prices,” she said.

The Yemeni government has not made any serious effort to improve conditions for psychiatric patients. Their number rises in step with the increasing prices of basic foods. Dr. al-Wasa’i said, “There is no any official or governmental body to support this hospital and its patients, so it mainly depends on private donors for support. We also rely on the nominal fees we receive from patients.”

Al-Amel Psychiatric Hospital, associated with the Yemeni Charitable Social Reform Society, is the only specialized medical facility that can accommodate psychiatric patients from all Yemeni governorates. It opened in July 1991 under the name Psychiatric Care Home to treat mental patients who used to be held in prisons. The hospital received about 7,076 patients during 2007 for medical examination and 1,124 of patients who remained in the hospital during the year. “It is a major burden on this hospital to receive such a large number of patients in just one year, with very limited financial resources,” Mansour al-Qatrify, the managing director of the hospital.

More attention is now being paid by doctors in the hospital to treating patients.

Al-Amel hospital has examined about 67,024 patients during the period 1991 to 2006. However, “these numbers do not represent the full extent of the psychiatric problems in Yemen because many cases are hidden, especially house-bound females and young children,” said Khaled al-Abasi, the director of public relations.

According to the hospital’s statistics, about 40 percent of patients received in the hospital are suffering from different mental illnesses. The sentimental illnesses occur in 27 percent of all patients received while 17 percent of people are found suffering from various neurotic illnesses.

Different numbers are recorded to show patients coming from all different governorates from 1991 to 2006. In Sana’a, where the Al-Amel hospital is located, has recorded the highest rate of patients (14,232) received in the hospital, yet just 6 cases were received, during the same period, from al-Mahara governorate. “It does not mean that this governorate has a small number of psychiatric and mental patients, but it means that this governorate is located far from the hospital,” said al-Abasi.

According to Dr. Fekri al-Naeb, a psychiatrist in the hospital, such psychiatric cases are the result of a combination of various social conditions, genetic defects and/or physiological or mental imbalances. Jamila A. is a good example of patients who were prone to many hard social factors. Jamila was engaged and preparing for her wedding day before she lost the control of her sanity when she was pushed by her stepmother toward the fire emitted from an oven used to prepare bread. She was badly deformed and transferred to a close hospital to be treated and then to al-Amel hospital to start her psychiatric care.

Many activities are practised by patients to help their treatment.

The statistics show that most of the patients (13,788) received from 1991 to 2006 were ranged between 31 and 40 years old. It is followed by 22,380 of patients, ranged between 21 to 30 years old. “They often have endured extreme levels of stress, lack social or family support and suffered a myriad of events until they lose their grip on reality and their ability to function normally,” said Dr. al-Naeb.

The statistics also show that married people are also mostly prone to psychiatric illness. About 32,371 of married patients are received in the hospital during the period from 1991 to 2006, while 20,982 ones were single.

The hospital now includes 120 male and about 30 female patients. According to psychiatrists there, many patients recover and return to their normal life, but they still face many other problems. “Sometimes, relatives return them to the hospital in worse a condition than before. They do not pay enough attention to their health conditions and make them suffer from other factors,” said al-Qatrify.

Other people do not realize that the role of a hospital is to provide short-term care. They put their patient relatives in this hospital and forget about them, doctors said. “Also, the burden of care is made heavier by the increasing number of homeless patients,” said Dr. al-Wasa’i.