The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, on Friday donated 100 educative books to psychiatric patients in the hospital’s ward to encourage them in reading habit.
The donation was made by the association at the launch of its “Inaugural Book Drive“, an initiative being part of the doctors’ reach out programme.
In her remarks, Dr Raliat Akerele, the association’s president, said that the initiative was meant to encourage reading habits among patients and keep them mentally occupied while going through rehabilitation.
“We want to imbibe the culture of reading educative books in our patients, so that they can learn good habits that will serve them in their lives when they are discharged from the ward.
“We have had lots of patients over time complaining of boredom and so we thought our patients will benefit a lot from reading.
“We introduce the reading habits that will help them to improve faster and stay off what brought them to the hospital initially, “ Akerele said.
She said that the association plans to organise documentaries in addition to the books donated as part of improving lives of the patients while going through rehabilitation.
“Most patients relapse, because they do not continue the skills that they have acquired while in the rehabilitation process.
“We plan to do more of this initiative and hopefully donate more books to other wards in the hospital, “ Akerele said.
Also, the Head, Drug Unit in the hospital, Dr Moses Ojo, said that unemployment was a major challenge facing youths in the country.
Ojo said that if unemployment was not tackled, drug abuse among youths would be a major public issue.
“The way forward will be for governments at all levels to solve the problem of unemployment among youths.
“Also, this initiative by ARD will help to improve the treatment of the patients and will go a long way to solving the problem of drug abuse among youths, “ he said.
In her remarks, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Oluyemi Ogun, urged other associations in the hospital to emulate the good gesture of ARD.
Ogun, represented by the hospital’s Head, Clinical Research and Training, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said that such initiatives would help in the management of patients in the hospital.
“This initiative is laudable; we need more of such for patients to get the care they need to get better and be able to function well in society, “ she said. (NAN)
