Dearth of Facilities at Kabul Mental Hospital
The Frontier Post
Shujaat Ali Khan
1/27/2002

KABUL: The only mental health hospital in the Kabul city facing scarcity of medicines and food for the patients, who are being treated very badly, there
are only eight doctors and most of them are inexperienced.

This correspondent made these observations during a recent visit to Kabul.

Every second patient in the hospital is suffering from mental depression and psyche problems, this may be because of more than two-decade long war and
uncertainties about future of their children, family and every person in daily life was also seen suffered in depression and stress.

This situation made most of the Afghans to some extent mentally upset, the conditions in mental hospital are clear proof of this entire situation.

For example: Liluma, 25-year-old an Afghan lady was beaten by her step-son four years ago, she is second wife of her husband, who got married with her after the death of his first wife.

“She has no child. Her husband never asked the boy (his son) that why he is beating his stepmother “, said Gulam Hazrat father of the lady.

He informed that the lady and the boy both are mental patients, as the boy’s mother was killed in a rocket attack, while Liluma’s husband was also killed during the war, which made them mentally disturbed and they both have some of psyche problems with them.

After some time Liluma recovered but the boy is still in the same condition”, said Ghulam Hazrat. Now one month ago, her stepson beat Liluma once again. But this time she was beaten very badly and now she is also a psyche patient. She is a complete psyche patient, said Dr. Najeebullah.

Dr. Najeebullah said that this type cases are common in Afghanistan. “ We are seeing such patients in large number but we have no facilities to treat them,
ultimately we refuse to admit them in the hospital”, said the doctor.

Quad-Bu-Din was laying tightly with ropes in very miserable condition, he was breaking every thing and also injuring himself, when asked about the
Quad-Bu-Din, Dr. Najeebullah said that three years ago a bomb was exploded close to his house at Punjsher valley. The explosion was occurred with big
bang, which made Quad Din conscious less.

There was another patient Wali Mohammad in the same room. Two years ago some unidentified thieves looted his house and harshly beaten Wali and his family
members, which developed depression and other psyche problems with Wali Mohammad and he was admitted in the hospital one year ago. He was discharged
after one month when he got little well. But because of having no money to buy medicines Wali once again become mentally ill, said Dr. Najeebullah.

There were four female patients admitted in the next room, these females were from Punjsher valley and were members of one family, suffering with same
psychological problems.