Mental healthcare services in the Western Cape public health sector will be boosted by a new psychiatric wing being built by the provincial government in one of the overburdened regions.

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, who visited the construction site of the R86m Eerste River Acute Psychiatric Unit on Friday, said the 30-bed wing is expected to be ready by the end of 2024. The 30 beds will bring some relief to the province’s four psychiatric units that have about 1,800 beds.

The Western Cape is one of the overburdened provinces when it comes to mental health, and substance abuse has been blamed for increasing mental illness and creating a “revolving door phenomenon”.

Once the construction is complete, the new unit is expected to greatly assist with capacity at Eerste River Hospital, which on average gets about 60 mental health patients daily — double the occupancy rate it was designed for.

Dr Adele Anthony, medical manager of Eerste River Hospital, said the district hospital is operating in a community that is growing and where the demand for services is increasing.

“We have also seen how the mental health burden has also expanded. We are pleased with the construction of the acute psychiatric unit, which will see a designated therapeutic space being built where specialists, doctors and multidisciplinary teams can have a greater impact on patients.”

Apart from adding much-needed space for its operations, Anthony said the occupancy rate of the hospital speaks to the increasing pressure of the mental health burden being felt in communities, “which is only worsening as a result of declining socioeconomic circumstances and substance abuse”.

“This will have a positive effect on service delivery, as patients usually wait long periods before they can be treated. By having this unit, we will also see recovery being boosted as a result.”

Not only will the project support the wellbeing of local residents, but it is also expected to support livelihoods. About R45m of the project will benefit local suppliers and subcontractors.

Mbombo said the project is proof that “we take the burden of mental health seriously which is why we are forging ahead with the construction of key infrastructure”.

“Eerste River forms part of an intricate network that is being tested by the societal pressures that are beyond our control. However, I look forward to the benefits that this unit will bring to the community and the amazing work it will do in the future.

“But for units like these to truly be effective and work optimally, we as the department cannot do it alone. This is why we are premising our service delivery on the whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches. Health is truly everyone’s business,” she said.

Source: TimesLIVE