The Commission Newsletter, August 31, 2016 Page 4 ZHRC tours Ngomahuru H uman Rights Officers from Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s Monitoring and Inspections Department, on 23 June 2016, made the long trip to Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital in Masvingo and were touched by what they saw. The team was on a mission to assess the human rights conditions at the mental hospital in line with the provisions of the Constitution of Z i m b a b w e Amendment (No. 20) Act of 2013 and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Act, Chapter 10:13 of 2012 which empowers the Commission to visit and inspect places where mentally disordered or intellectually handicapped persons are detained under any law in order to ascertain the conditions under which those persons are kept there and to m a k e recommendations regarding those conditions to the The man in charge of Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Parerenyatwa Maramba (in leather jacket) toured the whole institution together with ZHRC staff members. Minister responsible for administering the law relating to those places. The two pieces of legislation also mandate ZHRC to “ensure and provide appropriate redress for violations of human rights and for injustice”. The ZHRC team spent the whole day touring and inspecting facilities at the Psychiatric Hospital including the accommodation facilities, laundries, rehabilitation unit and kitchens. The dressing of the inmates also came under scrutiny and so was their treatment and the quality of their food. In order to come up with a comprehensive and informative report on the visit, the department had held a workshop to develop monitoring and inspection tools before the visit. The workshop was attended by various stakeholders, among them representatives from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, Ministry of Health and Child Care as well as those from institutions that deal with people with mental disabilities. The visit was welcome by most of the officers who were experiencing for the first time the living conditions of psychiatric patients. Ngomahuru is fiftytwo kilometres, twelve of which is a dust road, from Masvingo town along the Beitbridge road. Established somewhere around 1926 by the colonial government, the institution was meant to cater for leprosy patients (perhaps, this explains why it is removed from reality) but is now home to 300 mental patients when operating at full capacity. It is the only psychiatric hospital in Masvingo Province and although the bulk of its patients comes from the province’s seven districts, some come from other provinces. Despite its awkward location, it is business as usual for the institution’s dedicated staff. So dedicated is the staff that the only medical doctor available, Dr Parerenyatwa Maramba had to leave Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chairperson: Karukai Ratsauka Compiler/Design & Layout: Shadrick William Members: Misheck Bulo, Linet Sithole, Sarudzai Paungano which is far much better than Ngomahuru to go and service the area. Apart from the medical doctor, several nurses, student nurses, rehabilitation technicians, general workers and other staff could be seen enjoying their work – these are the real champions of Ngomahuru. In 2014, there were unconfirmed reports of mentally ill patients at Ngomahuru having staged a strike over deteriorating living conditions and violation of their human rights. Prior to visiting Ngomahuru, the Commission had visited Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital in Bulawayo on a similar mission and it was found that there was an acute shortage of drugs. After the visit to Ngomahuru, a visit was also made to Parirenyatwa Psychiatric Unit (Annex). Findings of both visits will be submitted to the Government through the line ministry. ZHRC has also been visiting prisons in the country.