Grenada: The resources and facilities available to persons suffering from mental disabilities in Grenada and whether they face mistreatment by the general population and the authorities (1988 to present)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GRD29607.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Grenada: The resources and facilities available to persons suffering from mental disabilities in Grenada and whether they face mistreatment by the general population and the authorities (1988 to present), 1 June 1998, GRD29607.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad2634.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
IPS reported in 1991 that facilities in Grenada for mental patients included a drug rehabilitation centre and a psychiatric wing in the general hospital (23 Apr. 1991). The same report stated that Dr. Narasimhan Prabhakar was the only psychiatrist on the island. In 1993, The Weekly Journal reported that Grenada's mental hospital had been bombed during the American invasion of the island, but that it had been rebuilt afterward on another site (27 May 1993).
The following information on the health services and resources available in Grenada was provided by the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO) Website:
The country's public health system has been developed around the concept of primary health care, and health care is provided through 6 health centers (3 of which include obstetric units), 30 visiting stations, and 6 hospitals. The private sector health care institutions are few and comparatively small--a 10-bed acute care hospital and several small nursing homes. There is limited access to diagnostic services, including simple laboratory tests and basic radiological investigations. The number of available hospital beds is adequate to meet Grenada's needs. Nevertheless, although the entire population has access to hospital care, more efficient referral systems are needed. The functioning of the country's health services has been hindered by shortages of human resources in critical areas, particularly in terms of nursing, because the resources have been depleted as a result of migration. The situation regarding doctors has improved some during the last 4 years. The country has 64 physicians (6.7 per 10,000 population), 8 dentists, and 365 nurses (15 Sept. 1995).
More recent information on the health facilities available in Grenada, as well as the treatment of the mentally disabled by the general population and the authorities, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Inter Press Service (IPS). 23 April 1991. "Grenada: Ninety Percent of Drug Addicts From One Parent Families." (NEXIS)
Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO). 15 September 1995. "PAHO-Country Health Profiles: Grenada." [Internet]
The Weekly Journal. 27 May 1993. Ian Nichol. "The Rising Cost of Ignorance: Teenage Pregnancies Are on the Increase." (The Ethnic NewsWatch/NEXIS)
