By Svetlana Marshall
The Ministry of Health today launched the National Mental Health Action Plan and National Suicide Prevention Plan for Guyana 2024-2030 with the support of the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).
The plans are expected to provide the country with Government aligned roadmaps that would see the decentralization of Mental Health Services in Guyana, while simultaneously addressing Suicide Prevention.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said the Mental Health Action Plan will address the age-old challenge of access to mental health services.
“As we develop this action plan, some of the things we have been working on in the ministry is how do we decentralize mental health care. A lot of mental health care was centralized at the Georgetown Public Hospital, and so, one of the steps we have taken is to take this out to other regional hospital. So now, people can access mental health services in Region 3, in Region 2 because we have decentralized care,” Minister Anthony explained.
The Health Minister also said that in compiling the National Mental Health Action Plan, the Health Ministry was cognizant of the fact that it did not accomplish a number of the measures outlined in the previous plan, and with the help of PAHO/WHO, a number of those measures were incorporated into the new plan, this time with realistic timelines and goals.
Minister Anthony said too that the legislation framework governing both mental health services and suicide prevention in Guyana were revamped.
“We were able to enhance the mental health environment in Guyana because when we looked at the laws we had in Guyana, they were quite outdated. Some of these things go back to the 1800s and we really wanted to ensure they were updated. So, one of the first things we did was to look at the legislation that governed mental health in Guyana, and we were then able to update that legislation building on work that was done, starting with Dr Leslie Ramsammy in 2010… and then another draft was done somewhere around 2018, and so more recently we were able to build on both pieces of draft legislation, and we were finally able to pass the Mental Health Promotion and Protection Bill, and now it is a law. Based on that, we have modernized in many respects what we do for mental health, and we have a human rights approach to mental health,” Minister Anthony explained.
He said similarly a new Suicide Prevention Bill was passed in the National Assembly in 2022, decriminalizing attempted suicide. It also laid the foundation for the establishment of a National Suicide Prevention Commission.
PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr Luis Codina said the Mental Health Action Plan will help to reform mental health services in Guyana.
“The first thing is, how can we reform the mental health sector that is inside the Health Sector but taking into account that we will not depend on rely on the psychiatric hospital. We will depend on regional hospitals for example general hospitals with a very strong response for crisis, five beds, 10 beds for mental health no more. With people trained, they can manage all the crisis but then people would need to return to their communities, so for that you need some psychosocial centers,” he explained.
Dr Codina said the psychosocial centres will provide medicinal and other services.
It was noted that in more cases, when persons are placed at psychiatric hospitals, their families find it difficult to accept them, and they are often left with no place to go. He said the plan will also address such issues.
PAHO/WHO Assistant Director in Guyana, Dr Rhona Sealey-Thomas said PAHO is pleased with the progress made by Guyana in addressing Mental Health as well as Suicide Prevention.
“PAHO is so pleased with the progress Guyana has made over the past years to raise the priority given to mental health, strengthen mental health legislation, analyze and address the mental health and psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its citizens, and develop and implement a package of mental health services as the country endeavors to move towards community based mental health care. PAHO is aware that Guyana like many countries experience challenges from the lingering effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of various population groups. We are also aware that prior to the pandemic that barriers to accessing quality mental health and wellness services in the country, and limited funding was some of the major and growing contributors to high mental health burden in the country, so we therefore applaud the Ministry of Health and by extension for the marked progress that the country has made in addressing the mental health challenges of the population,” Dr Sealey-Thomas said.
Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy and Director of the Mental Health Unit, Dr Timothy Morgan were among the officials present at the Ministry of Health to witness the launch of the action plans.
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