By: Nyima Sillah
Matron Tanka Tanka Psychiatric Hospital, BakaryCamara, has disclosed that many of their mentally challenged persons have fled the hospital and are on the streets after inferno that reduced some buildings into ashes.
It could be recalled that Tanka Tanka, the only psychiatric hospital in the country, was caught by fire on 18th April 2024 which was started by an inmate who has been in the hospital for years.
Camara made the disclosure during an interview with this reporter held recently.
He explained that during the inferno, many of their patients capitalized on the opportunity and escaped from the hospital.
“We are not putting any mechanism to bring them back because we don’t even have space to put them. Three rooms were burned to ashes and this place is fully packed,” Camara lamented. “We know they might be harmful to the society but even we working here are not safe,” he added.
He stated that the number of mentally unstable persons that escaped is yet to be confirmed but none of the inmates that were at the hospital by the time escaped.
Camara pointed out that due to the limited capacity, their admission was based on the degree of seriousness of condition of the patient especially those that could be harmful to the society.
Explaining the cause of the fire incident, Mr. Camararevealed that on 18th April, an inmate intending to commit suicide set off a mattress on fire. He said when questioned, the inmate replied that he was told by a devil to do so but they could not establish where the inmate got the material to set the mattress on fire.
Camara further explained that the person that caused the fire had multiple drug use and was once deported from Germany a few years ago. “No casualties occurred but the inmate that caused the fire sustained secondary injury and he was taken to Ndeban for treatment before being taken back to mile ll. After this incident, we immediately relocated over eight inmates to mile ll because we didn’t have space to keep them,” he narrated.
Camara stated that the authorities were aware and since the incident happened they visited the whole place, “but since then, we did not hear from them.”