NATIONAL NEWS - The shortage of essential psychiatric medications in South Africa’s public health sector is placing patients with serious mental health conditions at risk of relapse, and psychiatrists are warning of growing pressure on already overstretched hospitals.

The South African Society of Psychiatrists (Sasop) says it has received reports from members in recent months of widespread stock shortages affecting mental health medication across the country. 

Although the shortages appear to be nationwide, most reports have come from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

According to Sasop, almost all mental health conditions are affected, but particularly concerning are shortages of medication used to treat severe conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.

Some psychiatrists have also reported that hospital management in certain facilities prevents them from issuing private prescriptions to families who are willing to purchase unavailable medication from private pharmacies.

Although alternative medications may sometimes be prescribed, the available options are limited and are also facing supply constraints.

Sasop points to the use of amisulpride as an alternative when olanzapine, commonly prescribed for schizophrenia, is unavailable. However, amisulpride is more expensive and is also in limited supply.

Changing medication can carry additional risks, as some patients respond well only to their established treatment and may experience a relapse when their medication is changed.

Hospital pressure and patient rights concerns

Sasop warns that the consequences of medication shortages extend beyond individual patients, affecting healthcare facilities and communities. Patients who relapse may experience a deterioration in their overall health and require more complex treatment. 

This can increase admissions to psychiatric wards, placing additional pressure on hospital beds that are already in short supply. 

The situation can leave patients waiting for hours or even days in hospital emergency departments while waiting for psychiatric beds.

The society raises concerns about the conditions in which these patients are required to wait, pointing out that emergency departments are not designed to function as psychiatric wards. Emergency staff are also not necessarily trained or equipped to provide the specialised nursing care required by patients with mental health conditions.

According to Sasop, this arrangement exposes vulnerable patients to potential human rights violations and compromises the care of other patients requiring emergency medical treatment.

Call for urgent investigation

Sasop says hospital management and provincial health departments have offered various explanations for the medication shortages, but believes these do not adequately explain why numerous medications manufactured by different pharmaceutical companies, across multiple treatment areas, are running out simultaneously.

The society is calling on the minister of health, Dr Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, to investigate the situation urgently and ensure that a lasting solution is found. It says resolving the shortages is essential to protecting patients, supporting healthcare facilities and preventing further strain on the public health system.

Sasop has offered to engage with the minister and assist in finding solutions to the crisis.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’