So this is where the madmen stay in Taiz!Taiz Sanatorium, a dreadful home for the unfortunate [Archives:2003/676/Reportage]

By Salah Saleh Ahmed
Yemen Times, Taiz
“Together towards life”, this was the poster on the interior gate of the psychiatric hospital affiliated to the central prison in al-Noor city, Taiz. Perhaps those who put it there wanted to inspire some hope in hearts of the patients but the poster was one thing and reality is completely something different. Seventy-five inmates of that place are people who have been termed as out of brain service and coded by madness. Various circumstances of cruel life transformed them to what they are today. And instead of receiving due care from the competent authorities, at least to compensate for the misery they live, instead of that they are treated and live in totally different circumstances. To unveil all that and more, this is what this report is all about;

Background
The psychiatric hospital in Taiz prison was established in the seventies and contains two wards each accommodating 30 patients. There is a library, a TV and entertainment hall but both are still closed. The psychiatry receives patients from one of three ways; through the central prison, the security administration and patients' families.
Crowded with patients and missing cadre
More like a prison than a care house, the place is simply a building where a number of unfortunate people are packed in small spaces. With not sufficient staff and very little budget this is how the hospital is operating. In addition to the fact that there are no representatives of the health ministry or prisons to monitor and check on the situation, they rarely come and when they do it is a routine operation that is done for the namesake only.
Security wise there is only one guard surviving to keep the place under control especially that some of the inmates were sent by central prisons for murder cases.
Cleanliness and hygiene? Those are unidentified terms in the hospital's vocabulary. An issue that leads to spread of rotten odors and diseases such as skin problems among patients. The clothes of the inmates are terribly dirty and the place to sleep on at the end of the day is a worn out mattress that could barley protect the patient's body against the cold floor. A depressing situation that would lead to more depression; no wonder they are losing their minds the more.

No medicines, no budget, no food
Mohammed Taha Sa'ad, assistant doctor complained to the Yemen Times about the situation saying: “The sanatorium complains from insufficient cadre. Before this volunteers used to help and authorities from the Red Cross used to provide them with basic incentives now they all have gone. We have qualified staff but there are needs for a proper budget. Is it really believable that the state can not truly provide salaries for them? Another thing is the nutrition part, for most of the patients are under medication and therefore they need proper and sufficient food and nutrition even more than the normal healthy people. Sometimes the use of medications without proper nutrition makes things worse and not better.”

Hunger and Fights
Amin Abdulrahman Ali Ridha, an inmate of the sanatorium, who was referred from the central prison for murdering his wife. He says: “There aren't any medicines! Where are the medicines, we want medications or good food, we don't have vegetables, fruit, but all this is not there and we get worse and get into fights and hit each other. No one can sleep because of the fights. Before this they said the ministry provided medicines but now the ministry wants medicines from the sanatorium!”

The world's VIP
Saeed Mohammed Nasr al-Shaibani suffers from visionary and audio hallucinations. He identifies himself as the most important man in the world and he rules over everything even the United States is under his control. He imagines people are chasing him and trying to hurt him and is still seeing visions of explosions in the world. He was sent from the central prison on a murder case also. He spent three years there and was transferred to the sanatorium. When we asked him about how he likes it in there he just blabbered that he wants to be free.

The Antichrist
And this is another one who is connected and communicated mentally with nature and God. And according to his words he does get direct and indirect answers and feedback.
He graduated from high school, commerce section average 70% and was rejected admission to Commerce College although others with much less percentages got through. He is about to be cured and so he was promoted to be in charge of the sanatorium gate. All the circumstances and idleness outside the sanatorium lead him to imagining things and believing that he is the Antichrist.
A poet
Ali Saleh al-Azab is a very special case in the sanatorium. Narrating a beautiful poem on the 26th Sept revolution and the principles of freedom and liberty and all the world's ideals, he proved that he is such a sensitive person. It was quite sad what he had been reduced to and it was very clear that someone like this with more help could have been in a better place.

And more
Strange cases, two kids with unidentified identities in bad conditions, one 11 years and has been in the place for two years now and the other 12 just got in one month ago. Is this a natural situation? To put these two kids in the same place with 20 murderers? To sleep with everyone on the cold floor, to wear worn out and torn clothes and suffer from malnutrition?
Where are the humanitarian care and charity institutions?
General Mohammed Ali Sinan Central Prison general manager answered the Yemen Times questions about the sanatorium and its conditions when he said:
“As for the nutrition disbursed to the patients it comes according to a list sent to the ministry. You can quote me on this and I am putting this issue forward to the ministry and the minister. As for the patients' files, well we have 20 prisoners sent from the central prison to the sanatorium and the files contain copies of their sentences. Those who complete their sentences terms are automatically released.”

Letters
The Health office at the governorate has been demanded now more than any time earlier to provide medical care especially medicines which are not available. They are also demanded to provide medical cadre and with salaries to support them in performing their duties and organize files that describe the patients' details and status and level of development and other things that should be provided by the central prison in addition to the cadre and food. All those things which are more practical and realistic than the “Together towards life” poster which is contrary the actual conditions of the patients life.
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