PANAJI
At least three government agencies -- the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Directorate of Health Services and the Goa Police -- are seemingly running in circles to tackle Goa's high suicide rate which is inching upwards to one a day.
The DHS has not yet come to any definite conclusion but has identified 'depression' as the main psychiatric problem responsible for many suicidal cases, according to Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
A written reply by Rane to the Goa Legislative Assembly said, the health authorities were therefore "working in the direction to identify cases of depression in the community".
According to Rane, the DHS has taken an NGO on board -- Sangath -- which is working on an 'impress programme' at peripheral centres and screened several hundred people.
Last year (2023), Goa reported 329 suicides, up from 304 the previous year. In the first year after Covid in 2021 too, the number of people who ended their lives had shot up to 319.
This year up to mid-June, already 125 people have committed suicides.
DHS officials, meanwhile, are seemingly banking on the intense counselling programme launched by the Education Department in schools to see results in the long run.
The DoE's scheme provides for counselling of students in government and aided institutions.
Counsellors are deployed in High Schools and Higher Secondary Schools where students engage with them on health, emotional and behavioural difficulties, besides sex-education related issues and academics as well.
Social difficulties both at home and in school are also dealt with by these counsellors.
Meanwhile, Rane said in response to a supplementary by Pernem MLA, Praveen Arlekar that the DHS's 'district health programme' is fully functional at both the District Hospitals in Mapusa and Margao.
Teams at these hospitals comprising psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, psychiatric nurse, community nurse and a psychiatric social worker.conduct regular psychiatric OPDs dealing with common mental health disorders, in the main for alcohol and substance dependence (addiction), Rane said.
The District Mental Health teams also visit health centres where they also conduct psychiatric OPDs and provide drugs for free, Rane's written reply to Arlekar said.
