Benin: Edo Government has identified about 10 persons with mental-health conditions undergoing rehabilitation in approved herbal healing homes as ready for discharge and reunification with their families following rehabilitation and assessment officials. The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Eugenia Abdallah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Tuesday, saying the ministry’s latest quarterly monitoring exercise identified residents ready for discharge and reunification.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, 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 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 program for residents. During the first phase, 10 active homes were inspected, with 97 persons recorded across the facilities visited by the monitoring team in the four local government areas combined.
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,’ Abdallah noted, indicating that family reunification efforts were already underway following assessment of the residents.
Monitoring officials interacted with residents who had made significant progress, including those considered ready for discharge, to understand their circumstances and determine appropriate next steps forward. The ministry is 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.
Interestingly, four residents from different homes expressed comfort with their current living conditions and were reluctant to leave, having even taken to farming. Additionally, one resident had been living in a home since 1976 but was not ready to leave, with the ministry maintaining contact with his family for updates.
For individuals whose families could not be traced but who were considered fit for reintegration, the ministry is providing empowerment support while efforts to locate relatives continue. Abdallah highlighted that vulnerable persons taken off the streets by the ministry are assessed and placed on appropriate rehabilitation pathways, which can include counseling, psychosocial support, family tracing, reunification, and empowerment.
The commissioner emphasized the importance of supportive home environments for successful reintegration and urged families against stigmatising or rejecting returning residents. The ministry also offers guidance and training to caregivers in approved homes to enhance humane care and strengthen rehabilitation practices.
Homes failing to meet required standards during inspections are shut down, with residents relocated to compliant facilities for safer rehabilitation services. The ongoing quarterly exercise aims to strengthen oversight, improve standards, and safeguard the welfare of persons undergoing rehabilitation across Edo.
NAN reports that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has bolstered rehabilitation interventions for vulnerable persons removed from the streets, focusing on care, family reunification, empowerment, and social reintegration. The ministry continues to collaborate with approved herbal healing homes and encourage family and community support to reduce stigma and foster successful reintegration of residents.