No need to bathe behind closed doors in Sbrana

Following recent deaths at the Sbrana National Psychiatric Hospital in Lobatse, patients' privacy is compromised at the hospital for security reasons.

Minister of Health and Welfare Alfred Madigele confirmed in Parliament that while the so-called state-of-the-art hospital is waiting for the installation of CCTV cameras, the shower bars and doors of the hospital have been removed to facilitate patient monitoring during bath time.

"My department is installing CCTV cameras to monitor psychiatric services. It should be noted that the two deaths by hanging occurred in the bathrooms. We are monitoring more and more patients during the bath and we have removed the shower bars, the entrance doors and other objects such as clothes hangers in the bathrooms, "said Madigele. . response to a parliamentary question Thursday.

He also explained that twelve (12) deaths had occurred in the hospital in the last five years; "We have had 12 deaths at Sbrana Mental Hospital over the last five years: five in 2013, three in 2014, one in 2015, none in 2016, one in 2017 and two in 2018."

Madigele said that out of twelve cases, there were natural causes, while three were suicides; "Two committed suicide by hanging and the other by wounding the head. The other two deaths are recent, both occurred in October 2018 and we are awaiting post mortem results. "

Madigele was answering questions from Maun West MP Tawana Moremi, who wanted to know the number and cause of deaths at the Sbrana Mental Hospital over the last five years.

He had also asked the Minister to indicate the measures in place to remedy the situation.

The hospital, which is the only referral hospital for psychiatric cases in the country, was officially opened in 2010.

The construction of the hospital, which was well maintained, cost the government an enormous amount of 360 million pesos. He was well equipped.