North Sumatra targets three districts to end shackling of mentally ill

The provincial government of North Sumatra is targeting three districts, Asahan, Tanjung Balai, and Labuhanbatu Utara, to become free from the practice of shackling individuals with mental health issues (ODGJ). This strategic initiative aims to accelerate the handling of ODGJ and eradicate the ongoing practice of restraint within communities.

Sri Suriani Purnamawati, Director of Prof Dr Muhammad Ildrem Mental Hospital in North Sumatra, announced that a team will begin working in these three eastern coastal districts this week. Their focus will be on addressing cases where ODGJ are still being shackled by their families. Purnamawati explained that families often resort to shackling to prevent ODGJ from disturbing or causing distress to neighbors, despite the practice being illegal and inhumane.

To combat this, the program offers a specialized transportation service to bring patients to the mental hospital for psychosocial rehabilitation. This program, conducted in collaboration with Haji Medan General Hospital and local district hospitals, aims to foster patient independence by establishing positive daily routines. Patients are transported to the hospital in the morning and picked up by their families in the afternoon.

During rehabilitation, patients participate in various therapeutic and skill-building activities, including spiritual guidance, Quranic studies, painting, and making products like dish soap, eco-enzymes, and carbolic soap. Their creations are even showcased and sold at the hospital's booth during the North Sumatra Expo. Patients also receive training in vegetable farming and maggot cultivation, utilizing organic waste from the hospital's nutrition installation to raise chickens.

Purnamawati emphasized that the stigma surrounding ODGJ, suggesting they are incapable of doing anything, is inaccurate. The rehabilitation program aims to help ODGJ build positive habits over 20 visits, enabling them to reintegrate and communicate with their families. The goal is to demonstrate that mental health conditions do not fundamentally alter a person's capabilities.