Transforming a Dumping Site Into a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in Somalia

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Back to table of contents Previous article Next article PerspectivesFull AccessTransforming a Dumping Site Into a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in SomaliaJibril Handuleh, M.B.B.S.Jibril HandulehSearch for more papers by this author, M.B.B.S.Published Online:1 Nov 2013https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13010044AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Above: The new psychiatric unit at the hospital in Borama, Somalia. Left: The doctors and nurses having clinical case discussions after rounds.Somalia is a country in the horn of Africa in a region known for wars, hunger, and droughts. The country has been in a state of chaos since 1991, when the last serving dictator, Siad Barre, was overthrown. According to the World Health Organization, two out of every five people in the country suffer from mental health disorders (1). Qat, or khat, a stimulant containing an amphetamine-like substance, makes the situation worse and is sometimes associated with psychosis (2). Since 2000, British institutions, including King's College London and the charity Tropical Health and Education Trust, have been helping the local Somali people to develop their own services through education of doctors (3). Local graduating health professionals have been given short courses in psychiatry and, through online tutorials, helped from a distance to develop mental health services in Somalia (4, 5).The images shown here come from Borama, a town in northwestern Somalia. Borama has a population of 150,000 and is home to Amoud University Medical School. The local community decided to fund a psychiatric inpatient unit in Borama Hospital, to reduce stigma by integrating psychiatry into the hospital. The Somali diaspora communities in northern Europe, with the backing of the local community leaders, raised enough money to build an inpatient psychiatric unit in Borama Hospital with no international support.The psychiatric unit was built on a former hospital dumping site. Construction began in February 2012, and the unit opened its doors in June 2012. It has 24 beds and an outpatient department.From the Amoud School of Health Sciences, Borama, Somalia.Address correspondence to Dr. Handuleh (jibriil.[email protected]com).Photographs provided by Dr. Handuleh and approved by Borama Hospital and the community. The author thanks everyone who contributes to the services of the unit.References1 World Health Organization: A Situation Analysis of Mental Health in Somalia. http://applications.emro.who.int/dsaf/EMROPUB_2010_EN_736.pdfGoogle Scholar2 Odenwald M, Neuner F, Schauer M, Elbert T, Catani C, Lingenfelder B, Hinkel H, Häfner H, Rockstroh B: Khat use as risk factor for psychotic disorders: a cross-sectional and case-control study in Somalia. BMC Med 2005; 3:5Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar3 Leather A, Ismail EA, Ali R, Abdi YA, Abby MH, Gulaid SA, Walhad SA, Guleid S, Ervine IM, Lowe-Lauri M, Parker M, Adams S, Datema M, Parry E: Working together to rebuild health care in post-conflict Somaliland. Lancet 2006; 368:1119–1125Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar4 Finlayson AE, Baraco A, Cronin N, Johnson O, Little S, Nuur A, Tanasie D, Leather A: An international, case-based, distance-learning collaboration between the UK and Somaliland using a real-time clinical education website. J Telemed Telecare 2010; 16:181–184Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar5 Syed Sheriff R, Whitwell S: An innovative approach to integrating mental health into health systems: strengthening activities in Somaliland. Intervention 2012; 10:59–65Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByHigh variability of the current mental health practices around the globe: Twenty days in the lives of psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals from all over the world18 September 2020 | Global Psychiatry, Vol. 0, No. 0 Volume 170Issue 11 November 2013Pages 1248-1248 Metrics PDF download History Accepted 1 February 2013 Published online 1 November 2013 Published in print 1 November 2013