By Virginia Njovo
Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital is appealing for assistance to support its agricultural initiatives, aiming to improve the institution’s productivity and contribute to food security.
The hospital heavily depends on external funding and hand-outs from well-wishers and the corporate world to sustain operations.
Speaking to TellZim News, Ngomahuru Medical Superintendent Parirenyatwa Maramba said they were pleading for sponsorship to set up an irrigation system.
“If sponsored, we can become self-sustainable, boosting the welfare of our patients. Ngomahuru has survived on donations for decades and yet we have underutilized land that at the institution. If sponsored we can become self-sustainable since we are already a charity home, doing everything for free,” Maramba said.
He said they were into cattle and goat farming but at a very smaller scale that it cannot sustain them and needed more to expand.
“The hospital currently engages in small-scale cattle and goat farming and we hope to expand the livestock production. If we get the sponsorship we are seeking, we can then become self-sufficient and improve patient care,”said Maramba.
The hospital faces significant challenges, including deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate resources, and insufficient support for patients.
The institution’s buildings and sewer systems are outdated, and there is a shortage of essential supplies, including detergents.
Many patients face neglect, with some being abandoned by their relatives without financial support or visits. Some have been admitted for more than 20 years.
In some cases, families fail to claim the bodies of deceased patients, leaving the hospital to handle the burden. The stigma surrounding mental illness exacerbates these challenges, leaving patients reliant on the nursing staff and fellow patients for support.
The hospital’s financial struggles have resulted in limited capacity to provide quality care, and the introduction of a private ward has offered some relief, generating revenue to meet basic needs.
Nevertheless, the institution requires substantial support to address its systemic challenges and provide adequate care for its patients.
