Helen Joseph Hospital records increase in mental health patient admissions

The Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH) has recorded an increase in mental healthcare patients with some patients coming from outside of the hospital’s feeder area.

This is according to Gauteng Health MEC, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, who was responding to a legislature question on the state of the hospital.

According to the Gauteng Health Department, since January, Helen Joseph Hospital had treated more than 800 patients at the emergency department compared to 80 in January 2021.

The department said the outpatient ward had treated 520 patients by January 2022, compared to 244 in January 2021.

Gauteng Health spokesperson Kwara Kekana said Mokgethi indicated that the increase in admissions was attributed to poor socio-economic circumstances aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, large scale use of illegal substances, and unwillingness of some families to take back members with mental health illness when discharged.

“The temporary closure of sections of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) has also contributed to the increase in patients.”

Kekana added that Mokgethi said various measures are being introduced at Helen Joseph Hospital to ensure the provision of care for the growing number of mental health patients, including the increase of bed capacity and repurposing a temporary structure to house more patients.

She said the hospital is also liaising with psychiatric wards in other facilities to transfer patients whenever there is capacity.

Kekana said Mokgethi pleaded with families who refuse to take back their loved ones with mental health illnesses to work with government and welcome their family members with care upon discharge from health facilities.

Meanwhile, Mokgethi has blamed vandalism for the delay in reopening the accident and emergency unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

According to the MEC, the Gauteng Provincial Health Department is waiting for the handover of the unit from contractors as they had to replace what was vandalised.

Mokgethi said the unit will then be cleaned and made ready for patients, which she hopes will happen before the end of March.

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