ABOUT 62 percent of patients that are attended to at Chainama Mental Hospital facility are those with alcohol and drug substances related to mental health problem Chainama National Mental Hospital head public relation George Tafuna has revealed.
And Dr Tafuna has disclosed that there has been a shortage of psychiatric drugs in the country and that it was taking about six months for the drugs to be procured and that patients had to wait for about half a tear before they could access the drugs.
Dr Tafuna said it was worrying that the country was recording such a high rate of persons whose mental health status was being caused by alcohol and substance abuse.
Dr Tafuna said the country was having high number of mental patients as a result of alcohol and drug abuse which had posed a challenge to the health sector to develop and advance e-medicines.
He however explained that Chainama Mental Hospital had benefited from the e-medicine technology which had made it easier to prescribe and administer medicines to patients.
Dr Tafuna disclosed that the hospital did not have consultants in all the ten provinces of the country while Lusaka Province only had a few of the consultants on mental health.
He explained that with the e- trade in medicines and other medical supplies the hospital had started receiving drugs within a short time of about of two to three days after procurement.
“About 62 percent of patients that are attended to at Chainama Mental Hospital are those with alcohol and drug substances related to mental health problem. We are happy that Chainama Mental Hospital is now using e- technology and e- therapy to treat patients. This is where a clinical officer can be at the health centre and be able to locate an expert and be able to guide the clinician on how to treat a patient. That has since reduced expenses on the part of patients most of whom had been travelling long distances,” Dr Tafuna said