By Tonderai Saharo
Masvingo city council’s four clinics have been crippled with a shortage of anti-psychotic drugs.
This comes amid a surge of mental health patients seeking services at the local authority’s health centers.
Council’s Health and Environmental Committee indicated that council clinics on average receive 107 mental patients per month.
The patients have varying mental health illnesses.
They include dementia, epilepsy, schizophrenia and drug induced psychosis.
The latter constitutes the bulk of patients.
“There is an increase of activities in the mental health department.
“Although health facilities managed to receive some antipsychotic, with every clinic receiving 5 doses of Fluphenazine Decaonate, it is not enough for our clients.
“Only one clinic was supplied with Haloperidol which is used for the management of substance abuse clients,” a leaked internal memory reveals.
The committee added that anti-epileptic drugs are in limited supply with only Phenobarbitone being supplied.
On drug abuse the committee was also concerned with the rampant use of drugs by council employees.
The report indicated that one staff member was sent to Ngomahuru Mental Health Hospital for rehabilitation.
He was having issues caused by substance abuse.
“Staff counselling on work related stress management depression and substance abuse management in MCC is to be commenced.
“Counselling teams are being established in every section to curb the scourge.