14 Jul 2024

Sbrana Psychiatrist Hospital is set establish an In-patient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Rehabilitation Facility to support individuals who are recovering from severe and enduring mental health conditions. Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of an Anti-Drugs and GBV workshop hosted by the Botswana Police Service Number 4 District at Moeding College in Otse recently, Head of Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital SUD Clinic ,Chief Registered Nurse Kagiso Ketshubetswe said the aim of the facility was to provide patients regain their independence and also improve their mental wellbeing. He said there was need to develop a tailored care plan which would be developed by a multidisciplinary team comprising among others psychiatric doctors, addiction professionals and case managers all having different roles to play. “We are at an advanced stage of our planning and we are also looking at establishing guidelines on in-patient management of SUD’s because currently we are only working with out-patient guidelines. It is going to guide us on how in-patient care would be rolled out. The success rate of our programme becomes higher for those who come in voluntarily hence our urgent need to open this facility,” he added. The In-patient rehabilitation facility provides a 24 hour care in a structured environment for individuals who need intensive support and monitoring. Quizzed on the state of mental health in the country, Mr Ketshubetswe said general mental health care in Botswana was manageable but what remained a challenge was the prevalence of substance use disorders. “We still don’t have medication assisted treatment and we are lobbying for such in our drug catalogue because internationally it is being provided in mental health care. When we open our in-patient facility we want to administer such and not only provide managing withdrawals which often leads to relapse by patients,” he said. Sbrana remains the only psychiatric referral hospital in the country with Jubilee Hospital in Francistown having a psych unit in its facilities. The hospital was named after the late Italian psychiatrist specialist, Dr Giuseppe Sbrana, who was the first specialist to work at the then Lobatse Mental Hospital in 1969. The naming of the hospital was in recognition and appreciation of the contribution and legacy of the late Dr Sbrana to the development of mental health in Botswana. Ends