Dozens of patients are facing prolonged stays at Ndera Neuropsychiatric Teaching Hospital, as they are unable to leave due to the lack of host families willing to accommodate them. Among the 74 individuals, 47 are male and 27 are female, who were treated and discharged by doctors after receiving care for mental illnesses. ALSO READ: Shortage of mental health professionals persists, warns RBC The hospital has been grappling with the challenge of patients with acute and chronic mental illnesses, who are medically fit to continue their treatment at home but find themselves unable to do so. Theoneste Ndayisenga, a psychiatric nurse at CARAES Ndera, shed light on the situation, pointing out that some patients are unable to recall their origin or are faced with reluctance from their families to welcome them back. Patients who have been given clearance to return home are stranded here, either because they have lost connection with their families or their relatives prefer them to remain under hospital care. Additionally, there are cases of foreign patients awaiting acceptance from their respective embassies, Ndayisenga explained. He further revealed that a significant number of patients were brought to the hospital by security forces. Individuals with mental illnesses may wander aimlessly without realizing their destination. Consequently, when the security forces notice unusual behavior, they bring them directly to the hospital, he added. Shockingly, some patients have been confined to the hospital for over two decades. ALSO READ: How mental health patients are treated at Ndera Hospital Ndayisenga emphasized the pressing need for transferring these patients to appropriate care facilities, as their presence strains the hospital's capacity and hampers the delivery of services. The overcrowding issue has been substantiated by the 2023 report released by the National Commission for Human Rights, which disclosed that CARAES Ndera currently accommodates 303 patients, exceeding its capacity of 206. Similarly, CARAES Butare houses 118 patients, surpassing its accommodation capacity of 110. At a recent coordination meeting on May 30, where representatives from the City of Kigali and healthcare institutions convened, Martine Urujeni, the Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-Economic Affairs, revealed that the City of Kigali owes Ndera Neuropsychiatric Teaching Hospital more than Rwf207 million. Urujeni attributed this debt to the treatment provided by CARAES Ndera to individuals discovered in the city with mental illnesses but originally hailing from nearby areas. We have accumulated a substantial debt to CARAES Ndera due to the unforeseen expenses incurred in treating mental health patients who came from other regions. Sending them back to their place of origin was not a viable option, as they are individuals deserving of medical attention, Urujeni stated. Jean Claude Musabyimana, the Minister of Local Government, expressed determination to address the issue promptly, ensuring that these individuals, who are unable to leave CARAES Ndera due to the lack of host families, find suitable care arrangements.
