MIREMBE NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL (MNMH)

Our Mission

To provide mental health services through diagnosis, management, forensic investigations and research on mentally challenged individuals for a healthy community.

Our Visions

Mental wellbeing attributed by educated, early intervening and accepting community.

Mirembe Hospital was opened in 1927 with a total of 29 patients who were transferred from Lutindi rehabilitation center.The number of patients has been increasing over the years up to 53,946 in 2020, with 340 used beds serving patients with physical and mental illnesses. In 1960, Isanga correction center which was previously under the Prisons Service Department was handed over to Ministry of Health under Mirembe Hospital with the aim of treating mental disorder defenders. At that time, it was called Broad moor because it’s functions were similar to that Broad moor of UK. The facility currently has a capacity of 250 beds. Patients are legally brought in by orders from the Courts. In the course of expanding the hospital, Mirembe Annex was established in 1967 with the purpose of serving mentally ill patients who are on remission but could not remember where they came from. During their stay the patients were engaged in rehabilitative activities but this did not last for long due to shortage of staff. In the long run the place was renovated and patients with substance use disorders were enrolled in different income generation activities as part of occupational therapy so as to facilitate their re-intergration into the community. This place has a bed capacity of fifty. In the same year 1967, the hospital established Hombolo Rehabilitation Center, which is 50 km from Mirembe hospital. At this centre, recovered mentally ill patients who have been rejected by the community due to crimes they had committed are equipped with skills of self reliance through agricultural and animal husbandry activities. This place has a bed capacity of fifty. Nevertheless the hospital expanded in the provision of other services so as to carter the needs of the customers . These services include Dental Clinic (2004),Ophthalmology Clinic(2009),Physiotherapy (2010), Neurology Clinic (2016),Itega Drugs Dependence Treatment Center (2018) and Child and Adolescent Clinic (2019). Currently the hospital is a Super Specialized Mental Health Hospital as it was declared so in 2010. Psychiatric services have been integrated with physical health services. These services include outpatients (OPD), inpatients (IPD), and diagnostic services. The hospital also provides voluntary counseling and testing for infectious diseases such as AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis (TB). These services are provided through vertical programs of CTC and VCT.

Functions

• To provide preventive services related to mental health
• To provide super specialized treatment and care to people with mental disorders
• To provide treatment and care to people with substance use disorders.
• To provide education and information on mental health to the community.
• To advise the Prison officers on the evidence based way of managing prisoners with mental illnesses
• To advise courts on mental health and mental disorder defenders