Saturday, June 14, 2025
Village Voice News
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Village Voice News
No Result
View All Result
Home Letters

Need for a psych ward with a counselor at the Mibicuri Hospital

Staff Reporter by Staff Reporter
May 11, 2021
in Letters
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Dear Editor:

While one may wonder whether someone has to write an open to the letter to the media addressed to some higher up in order for action to be taken with respect to issues plaguing his/her community Lisa Budhu would probably be gratified that some attention is being given to her appeal. However one would hope that the help being offered would neither be piecemeal not selective as there are umpteen need requirements by these Black Bush Polder communities; needs that have existed for years and for which a number of NGOs, including The Caribbean Voice, have made attempts to address within the scope of their limited resources. In fact, in many ways, BBP reflects a socio-economically depressed community overall.

READ ALSO

Open Letter to Mr. Aubrey Norton

GAWU saddened on the passing of Mr James Singh

Besides those touched upon by Lisa Budhu, there are other enervating issues that saturate Black Bush Polder including rape, mentioned by Ms. Budhu, along with incest, domestic violence, alcoholism, child abuse, lack of coping skills, depression, anxiety, low self esteem, suicide ideation and attempts, along with suicide itself, lack of coping skills, low self esteem.

So along with all the ideas mooted by various letter writers and all the promises made thus far by the First Lady and cabinet members there is critical need to also address these psycho-social issues.

For starters, there is need to have a psych ward with a counselor at the Mibicuri Hospital. As well BBP is ideal for both a lay counselor-training program that would ensure proactive mental health responders throughout every community and the Friendship bench manned by talk therapists, perhaps senior citizens as in Zimbabwe where this highly successful measure was pioneered. As well BBP is where the need is greatest for pesticide suicide training re safety of use, storage and disposal as well as steps to mitigate ingestion of poison while medical attention is being sought. BBP is certainly an area where counselors in schools are absolutely necessary, even if its one counselor serving the five schools as an initial effort.

The fact is BBP typifies the reality referenced in the 2018 Lancet Commission report on mental health and intensified by the pandemic which, among other things pointed out that mental disorders and related issues (suicide, rape/incest, child abuse, gender based violence, alcoholism and substance abuse) are on the rise globally resulting in massive economic costs including healthcare costs, crime costs, welfare costs, social costs, the costs to families (depression, anxiety, dysfunctional relationships, toxic behavior and so on) and the added burden to both cost and standards of living.

The simple fact is that when mental health care lags behind, it acts as a drag on all other sectors of the economy and overall quality of life. On the other hand, addressing these issues can reduce annual physical health care costs by 20 per cent as well as provide significant savings relating to crime, social life, welfare, families, over all dysfunction. Thus, in addition what is mentioned above, consideration should also be given to programs to address substance abuse, provide mentoring to the young and help for batterers and deal with relationship dysfunction and toxic masculinity.

Regards
Annan Boodram

ShareTweetSendShareSend

Related Posts

Letters

Open Letter to Mr. Aubrey Norton

by Admin
June 13, 2025

Dear Mr. Norton,  I write to you not as a politician, but as a young teacher, a daughter of this...

Read moreDetails
Letters

GAWU saddened on the passing of Mr James Singh

by Admin
June 13, 2025

Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) expresses its profound sadness at the passing of Mr. James...

Read moreDetails
Letters

Nothing in Oil Contracts bars Ringfencing and PPPC created all lop-sided Contract terms

by Admin
June 13, 2025

It is sickening to look and listen to a daily diet of the PPPC’s blatant falsehoods suggesting that the terms...

Read moreDetails
Next Post

Dr Carpen has seen the light


EDITOR'S PICK

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs

Speaker and Clerk off to Dubai

October 31, 2021

Venezuelan woman killed at Big Hope backdam

October 4, 2020

Video: China’s solution to food security

November 18, 2022

Messi departure painful but Barca can’t live in past, says coach 

August 15, 2021

© 2024 Village Voice

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Village Voice