Special Hearings — Mental Health Workshop — 1997-11-20

WENDY ORR: ... to look at the whole health sector process.  But I think in addition, we are hoping that out of this workshop will come issues to do with reparation and rehabilitation and I think Hlengiwe is going to speak to that issue.

UNKNOWN: Thank you colleagues.  I will also like to add a word of welcome.  This part of the process is very, very important for us because it gives us an opportunity to make sure that in our recommendations, we do not compromise mental health related recommendations.
 I know some people have been concerned that this won't get the publicity that the health submissions got.  I should think really we must understand that what is important is not so much the media drama, if we work and we carefully examine issues and in our report, mental health related issues are not compromised, I should think we would have achieved our goal.
 So, the numbers are not very good, but I hope we will be creative and make sure that we cover the areas which have been identified in the letter of invitation very, very carefully and achieve what we have set ourselves up to achieve.
 And the first question which most people have been asking is, why a workshop in mental health following the health hearings?  I should think Wendy has in a way tried to link the two.  To add to what she has said - as a Commission we are really in search for a name for an institution which will address the needs of people who have appeared before the Commission with overwhelming emotional scars.
 Our mental health institutions have over the years been accused of committing gross human rights' violations and I looked at the submissions, those concerns that had been raised time and again, even in June when we had the health submissions, there was a theme whereby people constantly raised concerns about mental health institutions.
 Experts within our profession have also been accused of being instrumental in devising torture methods.  That again, hasn't been given the attention it deserves.
 The mental health directorate has been left without a Director for more than a year in the history of our country, so all those things are just raising cause for concern as to who is going to address the issues which have emerged in this process.
 In terms of the mental health directorate, in terms of its location, it remains a cinderella within the Department of Health and mental health related concerns flowed backward and forward between health and welfare.  In one of the submissions here, I don't know if you've all got the submissions that I am referring to, there is a call for instance which has been made by a well-known psychologist Professor Victor Nel whom we had thought he would be here, who is making a call for a creation of a human service department or ministry.
 This is a bold call for the creation of help and guidance centres under the human service department or ministry.
 In his words, he is saying medical gate keeping to human services, will be replaced by a system better able to avoid physical treatment of psychological distress.  Individuals will often be self-referred, deciding themselves whether to present at a health clinic or at a health and guidance centre.
 Cost offset benefits will accrue through the avoidance of expensive medical treatment and the reduction of client loads at clinics.  At the same time, a broad base will be established for the development of the full range of human services within which known governmental organisations could be accommodated.
 I would like to add three things to Prof Nel's proposal that what he is saying, it offers a concrete step to a promised move from institutionalised care to community mental health care.  Secondly it opens a window opportunity for other people like business, the churches and so on, and angels of course as he referred to them, to be part of a solution in healing the wounds of the apartheid experience.
 Thirdly, SAISA has already made a call for the independence of SYCO of the control of psychology from the Medical and Dental Council, so SAISA and Prof Nel's position, can merge well if carefully examined.
 And they can lead to concrete results of strengthening community base care or promotion of well-being rather than adherence to occur.  Here is Sats Cooper, just when I have finished to talk to what SAISA had said.  I am sure if he had indicated that he will be part of us, he will articulate that better and there will be an opportunity for him to articulate that this morning.  It is very, very important for us to be clear about what we are saying.
 The question is how will the TRC process be carried forward.  Really healing the memories of the past and developing the culture of human rights' is a major challenge, especially for our profession.
 Professionals with psychological skills have an important role to play, especially to facilitate processes which will address generational, emotional dilemmas.
 As I have said, there is a big question whether mental health care as it stands today, will be in an opportunity to assist in this task or we need to carefully examine Prof Nel's proposal as well as SAISA's proposal, because if we do not do that, the opportunity will be lost in terms of creating a new establishment which will make sure that our skills are not compromised under established professions, or professions which have dominated this field over the years.
 So we are hoping that as we are guided by experts who will be talking to different areas, we will spend some time in workshops and get clarity as to where, what we want to recommend in our report at the end, thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  The next section, if you remember the invitations we spread up the topics according to the focuses as you can see on the programme.  We actually didn't get any submissions regarding Legislative Regulations which was a shame.  We had one person who could have come, but they had to come up from Cape Town, and we didn't have enough flight tickets for that.
 It is very short notice, but I wonder whether we could maybe open it up, the discussion, we've got half an hour to not in terms of a submission, but maybe Sats Cooper, you've just arrived, I don't know whether you are how on foot, but I wonder whether we could actually open up the discussion in terms of Legislative Regulations of Mental Health, because we actually haven't got a spokesman for that particular section.  What do you people think?
 Mr Cooper, do you think you could - could you please come forward?