THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL has been able to reduce its patient intake significantly over the years, and officials believe that with the community programmes it has implemented the numbers will fall even more.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Tennyson Springer and director at the hospital David Leacock told the WEEKEND NATION yesterday that in 2000 the institution housed 647 patients. This has been lowered to 510 and it is the hospital’s goal to get the numbers down to 450.
“And this is not by discharging people,” Springer indicated.
“This is by giving people alternate quality care in the community as well as the aggressive treatment in the hospital to facilitate their discharge and I think those aspects of the programme must be commended.”
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