Seven students at the Bartica Secondary did not attempt suicide, according to Minister of Health Dr. George Norton, who has labelled as “malicious” a report in the Guyana Times yesterday making the claim.
“I wish to categorically dismiss the headline carried by Guyana Times. I believe the Times owes an apology to the students of Bartica Secondary and the whole of Region Seven for carrying such a malicious statement,” Norton said.
He did note that there were cases where children tried to self-harm but he said there were no seven students and authorities in the region as well at the ministry have no idea where such an idea originated.
He acknowledged that one student recently tried to self-harm. He said when that student was admitted to the hospital, the attending doctor checked the records and noticed a trend of students at that and other schools in the region, attempting suicide.
The doctor informed the Regional Health Officer (RHO), who then informed the central ministry. This doctor, Norton noted, only took office a few months ago.
The Ministry was informed of situations happening over a period of time, Norton stressed, while explaining that the time period extends as far back as the time since the dorms were set up.
He noted that this trend has unfortunately been observed in communities and schools across the country.
He also noted that there seems to be no provision for the treatment and care of those students who have self-harmed; instead “persons leave school and return after a few weeks.”
According to Norton, when he received the report from the RHO, he recognised that they had a problem on their hands which required experts to address it.
As a result, a team including Norton, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan as well as a “psychologist, psychiatrist and social workers” travelled to the region to conduct a scientific assessment of the situation.
“We came because we wanted to meet with students, teachers, house mothers and fathers. We wanted to see the environment and understand the circumstances. So we will be visiting several schools in the area,” he said.
Norton further explained that after this initial information gathering is concluded, a short-term and long-term plan will be developed in collaboration with the ministries of Social Protection and Education.
“I would like the Ministry of Social Protection to come in and take part because I would like these issues to be addressed at the societal level,” Norton said.
He explained that health statistics show that Region 7 has several issues which need to be addressed at that level. One such issues is the rate of teenage pregnancy. According to Norton, 45 cases of teenage pregnancy were recorded in the region in 2014 and 35 so far in 2015.
According to statistics from the National Suicide Prevention Plan 2015-2020, the age group most affected by suicide is the 12 to 18 range, which accounted for 30% of attempted suicides.
The plan also notes that the most common risk factor for suicide and attempted suicide is acute emotional distress and depression, which accounts for 36.6% of attempted suicides. These and other statistics have led to the plan recommending a “tailored approach to the mental health of several groups is necessary for the suicide risk to be reduced.” These groups include children.
