Ingutsheni Central Hospital was established as an asylum in June 1908, on a plot then measuring 730 acres. The size of this plot has been reduced to approximately 229 acres today.
In the year 1930 the asylum became a Mental Hospital with a full time alienist (psychiatrist) who was brought in from England. This was the beginning of modern day Ingutsheni Central Hospital. The hospital is exclusively concerned with the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with psychological or mental disorders plus basic and post basic training in psychiatry nursing.
Ingutsheni Central Hospital is one of the six (6) Central Hospitals in the country, and is the national referral central centre for patients with mental health problems The Hospital has a bed capacity of 708 and a daily average in patient population of 600+ patients. The outpatients department attends to an average of 2400 patients per month.
Services Offered at Ingutsheni:
As stated above the hospital is concerned exclusively with the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with psychologial or mental disorders.
Types of patients admitted:
- ) Acutely ill
- ) Sub acute
- ) Chronically ill
- ) Mentally retarded
- ) Mentally handicapped
- ) Pycho geriatrics
The hospital does not charge its patients hospital fees
Wards And Departments
Ingutsheni has 14 wards i.e:
2 Acute admission wards , one for males and one for females
2 Sub acute wards to receive patients who are stabilizing from the admission wards, 1 for males and the other for females.
4 wards for Juveniles with learning disabilities.
1 male rehabilitation ward for patients being prepared for discharge back into the community.
1 Male forensic ward for patients who have committed crimes but are found to be mentally ill and are thus decriminalized an transferred to Mlondolozi prison hospital.
2 Psycho-geriatric wards for the elderly males and females.
St Francis home and Annexe
A home for children aged 5 to 16 years of age with severe to profound learning disabilities often accompanied by physical disability and a special school attached to it. The centre has a bed capacity of 60. Currently the home receives referrals from all over Zimbabwe. The Department of Social Welfare through court orders places the majority of these children.
The centre offers services that focus on activities of daily living such as:
- Toilet training
- Walking
- Improved physical well being
- Feeding
- Socialization
The Annexe receives children from St Francis home when they attain the age of 16 years. The unit accommodates 23 children.
Emakhandeni day centre
The centre accomodates 18 patients and offers vovational trainig for discharged patients. All clients stay at home with relatives and spend daylight hours, i.e 0730 hours to 1600 hours, at the centre.
Mlondolozi (Khami Prisons)
The centre has a bed capacity of 320. Admitted patients include:
Criminal offenders – Mentally Defective Offenders
Dangerous and aggressive patients
The center is basically a prison facility, which operates with prison guards and a few nursing personnel seconded from Ingutsheni Central Hospital. The Psychiatrist visits the patients 3 times a week.