Mental health services in the Kingdom / Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Health.

  • Saudi Arabia. Wizārat al-Ṣiḥḥah.
Date:
1982
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Mental health services in the Kingdom / Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Health. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia is a vast country with an area of two million square kilometers and approximately one fifth of the inhabitants still leading a nomadic or semi-nomadic life. To provide medical coverage in these circumstances is a quite difficult job. Another problem in this regard is the cultural belief to which Dr. T. A. Baasher, regional WHO adviser to mental health men- tioned in his report No. EM/MENTY59 year 1973 that mental ill- ness is believed to be caused by Ginn ( GHOSTS ) evil eye or magic practice. Although due to socio-economic development and education, condition are very quickly changing. Moreover due to Govt. keen interest in field of health shown by allocating large budgets to the health ministry, progress has become quick, specially in the field of mental health. SITUATION PRIOR TO BEGINNING OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES : Before 1370 H. ( 1950 M. ) there was no proper arrangement for mentally sick patients. They were isolated from society and kept in a house. This house was known to public as BIMARASTAN. In this house patients were kept tied-up, or hand cuffed and were dealt as prisoners. One of such house used to be in Mecca in the beginning with about one hundred patients. Then it was shifted to Taif because of the better climate. In Taif first it was in Mathna which accomodated about 150 patients. Then it was shifted to Hawayya another suburb of Taif and lastly to Qarwa also a suburb of Taif. It was the year of 1382 H. ( 1962 M. ) when first psychiatric hospital was built and started functioning. Primarily it was a single storey building & in the beginning it had only 240 beds but the number of patients were 600. By the time second and third ]