Some patients at St Giles Hospital in Suva have remained institutionalised for decades not because they cannot be treated, but because their families refuse to take them home, acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sheetal Singh has revealed in a renewed call for community support.
Dr Singh told reporters the hospital’s policy is to treat people in the least restrictive environment and return them to family care wherever possible, but that those efforts are repeatedly undermined when relatives will not accept a patient back. “There are many times we try to put them back into the community. We try to send them back to the family. But if the family is not supportive, he’s going to have relapse after relapse,” she said, noting some patients have been at St Giles for more than 20 years.
Her comments underline a problem hospital staff say is social rather than clinical: long-term stays that extend decades are often the result of family rejection and community stigma, not untreatability. Dr Singh warned that without family and community support, recovery remains fragile and gains made during inpatient treatment are frequently lost when patients return to unsupported environments.
Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa echoed the hospital’s concerns, stressing that reintegration depends on acceptance beyond the household level. “So it is important that when the medical professionals try to do their bit in calming the patient down to be able to go back home, the community as a whole must accept them because they are part of them and there’s no other place for them to go to,” he said. Ravunawa urged families, villages and wider communities to recognise their role in supporting patients and enabling their return to everyday life.
The officials’ statements represent the latest public acknowledgement by health authorities of the social barriers to mental health recovery at St Giles. They draw attention to the gap between clinical services and community supports, with the hospital repeatedly attempting to discharge patients who then relapse when returned to unsupportive or hostile home situations.
Both Dr Singh and Mr Ravunawa emphasised that reintegration is a shared responsibility. While hospital staff can stabilise patients and provide medical and therapeutic interventions, sustainable recovery requires networks of care at home — from families willing to rehouse loved ones to villages prepared to accept and monitor returning members.
The renewed appeal comes amid ongoing discussions about mental health care models that prioritise community-based support and reduce long-term institutionalisation. For now, Dr Singh said, the immediate priority remains the same: to work with families and communities to create conditions that allow patients to leave St Giles and live safely and with dignity in their communities.
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