Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Health’s Community Health Care Workers concept is indeed a good one, especially given that it emphasises that Georgetown and Region Four are not Guyana and it embraces communities across the nation. Ditto for the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Community Partners initiative. Thus, since the promised reemergence of the Lay Counsellor training program is yet to be realized, The Caribbean Voice strongly urges that these training programs be slightly expanded to include lay counsellor training so that those trained will be able to incorporate basic mental health care in their work. In fact we suggest that this piggybacking be instituted in all training programs focusing on community work, especially in the rural areas. Piggybacking is much more cost effective than a standalone training program and adds to tremendous efforts already undertaken with respect to mental health care in Guyana. Most importantly such piggybacking will significantly supplement existing suicide and abuse prevention efforts across the nation and let rural communities know that they are not neglected after thoughts, especially given that the vast majority of initiatives, every which way, continue to focus on Georgetown and Region Four.
Sincerely,
Annan Boodram
My Heart Walks With You
The Caribbean Voice
