Let us show compassion to the mentally disabled

THIS is a plea for the long-term healthcare in hospitals for mentally disabled patients who have no other place to go.

The main purpose of the Mental Health Care Act, Act 17 of 2002, is to discharge patients as soon as possible after they have been stabilised.

This is a good thing because it prevents patients from spending the rest of their lives shut away in hospitals.

However, there are some patients whose conditions have so deteriorated as a result of their illness that they are no longer able to function in an open community.

A small percentage of patients whose families can still afford it, are accommodated in private institutions.

Many end up in jail, where they are often poorly treated. Most of them end up on the streets and become beggars and hobos. A third of the people who police shoot dead on the streets of America, are mentally disabled.

South Africa is a country that prides itself on affording priority to human rights. The existing legislation therefore should be amended to make provision for the long-term care of the chronically, severely degenerated mentally ill people in hospitals or state institutions, as is the case overseas.

Let’s show compassion towards these vulnerable members of our society, treating them with dignity and respect. Welma Swarts, Pretoria