The Edo State Government has said 10 persons with mental-health conditions rehabilitated in approved herbal healing homes are ready for discharge and reunification with their families following rehabilitation and assessment by officials.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Eugenia Abdallah, said in Benin City on Tuesday that the ministry’s latest quarterly monitoring exercise identified residents ready for discharge and reunification.

Ms Abdallah said government-approved herbal healing homes provided rehabilitation and related support to persons with mental-health conditions and other vulnerable persons, while quarterly monitoring assessed operations and compliance with required standards statewide.

“The current exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase covering facilities in the Esan South-East, Esan Central, Esan North-East and Etsako West Local Government Areas of Edo State, respectively.

“The areas visited included Ewohimi, Ewu, Uromi, Afokpella, Iyamho and Imiegba, among others, during the initial inspection phase across the affected local government areas of the state’s rehabilitation programme for residents,” she said.

According to her, 10 active homes were inspected during the first phase, with 97 persons recorded across the facilities visited by the monitoring team in the four local government areas combined.

She said the evaluation covered operational standards, cleanliness, living conditions, security, staffing, caregivers’ capacity, treatment progress, admission records, recovery monitoring and family tracing during the inspections to determine compliance and readiness.

“We have approximately 10 of them who are perfectly well and ready for discharge,” she said, noting that family reunification efforts were already underway following assessment of the residents.

The commissioner said that monitoring officials also interacted with residents who made significant progress, including those considered ready for discharge, to understand their circumstances and determine appropriate next steps forward.

She added that the ministry was already contacting the families of residents considered ready for discharge, with reunification plans tailored to each person’s circumstances, needs and available support within their communities.

“Funnily enough, four residents from different homes said they won’t want to go back home because they are comfortable where they are. Some of them have taken to farming,” she said.

She added that one resident had been in a home since 1976 but was not ready to leave, adding that the ministry remained in contact with his family for updates.

For persons whose families could not be traced but considered fit for reintegration, the commissioner said the ministry was providing empowerment support while efforts continued to locate relatives elsewhere.

On the broader intervention, Ms Abdallah said vulnerable persons taken off the streets by the ministry were assessed and placed on appropriate rehabilitation pathways, depending on their individual needs and circumstances there.

She said the process could involve counselling, psychosocial support, family tracing, reunification and empowerment, helping suitable persons regain stability, reconnect with relatives and return to productive lives within their communities again.

The commissioner emphasised that families were counselled against stigmatising, rejecting or subjecting returning residents to harmful treatment, noting that supportive home environments were essential to successful and lasting reintegration after discharge.

She added that the ministry provided guidance and training to caregivers in approved homes to promote humane care, strengthen rehabilitation practices and improve outcomes for residents undergoing treatment and recovery.

Ms Abdallah said that homes failing to meet required standards during inspections were shut down, while residents were relocated to facilities meeting stipulated requirements for safer, more appropriate rehabilitation and care services.

She added that the current quarterly exercise would continue in other districts as part of efforts to strengthen oversight, improve standards and safeguard the welfare of persons undergoing rehabilitation across Edo.

The ministry of women affairs and social development has strengthened rehabilitation interventions for vulnerable persons taken off the streets, emphasising care, family reunification, empowerment and social reintegration steadily.

The ministry has continued working with approved herbal healing homes as part of the interventions while encouraging family and community support to reduce stigma and promote successful reintegration of returning residents.

(NAN)