Georgetown, Guyana – (January 7, 2016)
http://www.gina.gov.gy/home/in...e-rate-is-disturbing
President David Granger in discussions with Health Minister, Dr. George Norton, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Ms. Valerie Garrido-Lowe, and Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Ms. Dawn Hastings at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Following another suicide tragedy, which occurred yesterday at East Bank Berbice, President David Granger, today, convened an emergency meeting with Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton,
Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally, Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous
Peoples Affairs, Ms. Valerie Garrido-Lowe and Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Ms. Dawn Hastings at the Ministry of the Presidency with a view to charting a course to address this scourge.
The outcome of the meeting is a plan of action, which will see Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Religious organisations and other Civil Society organisations being engaged to work togetherwith Government on a centralised approach to suicide prevention.
President Granger has indicated that he intends to have a hands on approach to addressing this issue and will be looking to implement a national programme that has measurable outcomes. During themeeting, the President was also updated on the implementation of Guyana’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy, launched by the Ministry of Public Health, last September, with a view to ramping up
Government’s response to the on-going problem. In addition, the President was provided with updates on work being done within the other subject Ministries.Earlier in the day, the President told two local journalists, during the weekly recording of the television programme, ‘The Public Interest’, that much more needs to be done and he intends to bringtogether international organisations and civil society organisations to ensure that all of the factors related to suicide are identified and addressed.
The Head of State said, “I am concerned as President that Guyana has a higher rate of suicide than other countries. It is not as though there is an average around the world and we are just average. We areabove average and that is disturbing.”
President Granger issued a call to parents, guardians, teachers and church leaders to be more sensitive and understanding of the emotional matters that affect young people. He said that, “the churchneeds to be more careful, the home needs to be more careful, peers need to be more careful. It is a delicate period but the state cannot bear the full burden of counselling, the home is where these mattersshould be resolved.”
The President affirmed that his Administration intends to do all that is possible especially since many of the victims of this scourge are young people in whose hands the country’s future lies. He explained too, that the circumstances and conditions under which people live needs to be examined to understand the underlying factors responsible for the high suicide rate.
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“I intend to find out why we have so many suicides and once we identify those factors, try to use Governmental action and try to get the efforts of civil society and households to put this scourge to an end. We are above normal and I want to find out if its social, if its cultural, or if its economic and bring an end to it… we know what the disease is, let’s find out what the cures are,” the Head of State
The President affirmed that his Administration intends to do all that is possible especially since many of the victims of this scourge are young people in whose hands the country’s future lies. He explained
too, that the circumstances and conditions under which people live needs to be examined to understand the underlying factors responsible for the high suicide rate.