Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Psych Inmates Call for Better Conditions

A report from Qatar, as seen in the Gulf Times. It seems like they might be confused with common prisoners or severely ill persons

Inmates of the Psychiatry Department at the Hamad Hospital have to put up with "conditions that are not conducive to recovery of the patients", according to a report in a local Arabic daily.

They said the department lacked any sort of entertainment facilities "which are very essential to relieve the psychological pressure the patients suffer from."

Another problem pointed out by the daily, quoting sources, is the "ill-treatment" of inmates by the staff members.

"The staff regard all the inmates as mentally diseased", an inmate, who asked not to be named, was quoted by the daily as saying.

"We are not allowed to use our mobile phones to communicate with the people outside," he said, stressing that the Psychiatry Department was in a pressing need for a comprehensive change and facelift to keep pace with the ongoing developments in the other departments of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

Another inmate said the "bad conditions" at the department aggravated their illnesses.

"There should be a big playground where inmates can jog", he said, remarking that the patients were often prevented from leaving their rooms and walking even in corridors.

"Some inmates are now in need of rehabilitation due to their long stay in the department", he said, describing the department as a detention centre.

A visitor to the department, who refused to be named, said that one of the worst problems the inmates suffered was the way the people inside and outside the department thought about those seeking treatment at the department.

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