GETTING A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
Patients at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta’s mental health ward get jobs through the institution’s job placement programme, writes
AT the car wash at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta (HBUK), 17km from Ipoh, a man was washing a customer’s vehicle. It was 11am and the man, in his 40s, had been working since 9am. The car was his fifth that day.
The man has been receiving treatment at the hospital’s forensics mental health ward for the last five years and is placed under a job placement programme as part of the hospital’s rehabilitation treatment. Some of the patients are hired to complete handicraft products at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Ipoh.
“Through the programme, I have earned my own income. I have been doing this for four years and it helps me get on with life,” said the man, who is unmarried.
The man, whose identity cannot be revealed, was among the 48 patients of the male forensics mental health ward at the institution placed under the job placement programme, introduced in the 1990s.
Apart from the programme, another 40 patients receive inhouse training, six receive vocational training and seven are given training for other work sectors.
Job placement is one of the psychiatric rehabilitation treatments for patients who can perform tasks based on their mental and physical abilities.
The programme also identifies former patients who need help getting employment by finding jobs to match their skills and contacting employers.
HBUK director Dr Norhayati Nordin said the hospital aimed at providing patients with tools to be employable and independent.
“Our goal is to see former patients securing employment and fending for themselves after undergoing treatment here. Before this, we only measured their success when they had been discharged from the institution.”
Dr Norhayati said she learned that the patients required additional help after undergoing treatment to rejoin society.
“In the past, we received feedback that they were struggling to be accepted back into society, with many claiming that they were shunned by their families.
“That’s when we realised we had to do more for them,” she said.
She said some patients in the past would request not to be discharged because they had nowhere to go.
“This is where the programme comes in, to help former patients who have recovered earn a living.”
Last year, HBUK saw 954 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, followed by 441 for drug abuse, 181 for affective disorder, 70 for mental disorder and 151 for other mental health issues.
She said HBUK’s new building facilities, which were opened in 2003, provided training to patients through a centralised farm ward system.
“The first type of ward involves patients who need full-time supervision by staff.
“The second type is the semi-supervised, where a nursing counter is placed between the facilities.
“The third was built in an apartment style, designed for patients who are capable of independent-living,” Dr
Norhayati said.
Patients capable of independent living would receive support to obtain employment outside the institution.
“They would be divided into a few groups where they tend orchards and farms. They get to sell the produce at the daily market (Monday to Friday, from 9am to 11am). The profits will be shared equally.”
At the training workshops, the patients follow a set of routines, such as waking up in the morning, taking a bath, brushing teeth and getting dressed on their own. They will then be assigned to working rooms where they learn how to follow instructions and complete tasks.
“In the beginning, we ask them to perform simple tasks such as putting beads into a string in a certain colour, before moving on to more detailed work, including handicraft, cooking, packing food or washing cars.
“Those who complete the tasks within an average of eight hours per day without any problems would be monitored further to allow us to see their progress. “The next step is to ensure that they are ready for employment outside the hospital,” she said.
She said the training period varied from one patient to another as each had a different level of adapting to surroundings and receiving orders.
“Some of them love outdoor activities and work in fruit orchards, freshwater fish ponds and poultry farms.
“For this, they spend their mornings working in the farm under the supervision of nursing and paramedic staff.”
She said the hospital’s occupational therapy team was tasked with liaising with employers who would hire recovered patients.
“The team works with companies to provide jobs to former patients. We are working with companies that recruit our former patients.
“We received feedback from their employers that they were hardworking and trustworthy,” she said, adding the job sectors included services in restaurants, canteens and cafeterias, cleaning, laundry, landscaping and car wash.