By Fareeza HaniffOver the past several weeks, there have been many suicide deaths and suicide attempts reported in the local media and some persons are of the view that there is an increase in the number of cases reported.However, Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, does not share this view as he noted that his Ministry does not have any evidence which indicates an increase in suicide deaths.In an exclusive interview with this newspaper on Saturday, Minister Ramsammy said that the Ministry sees between 150 to 200 suicide deaths per year.He explained that unlike previous years, people now have access to healthcare that can save their lives.Over the years, the Ministry of Health has struggled to deal with the suicide issue and to keep it under control. To this end, a Regional Suicide Prevention Workshop will be held today at the Pegasus Hotel,Cheap China Jerseys, which aims to develop greater awareness of the problem among health professionals and civil society.For the last six to seven years, the Health Ministry has elevated suicide prevention as a priority public health issue, since it was recognised that it is an important contributor to premature death in Guyana.In this regard, the Ministry has improved the reporting data base on the issue.In the 1980’s, it was estimated that between 30 – 50 per cent of suicide deaths in Guyana were unreported, as the information system was poor and stigma was attached to those who attempted suicide.Today,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Minister Ramsammy is confident that there is 100 per cent reporting of all suicide deaths.However,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, he is mostly concerned about the reporting in the number of suicide attempts. In this regard, he explained that the Suicide Prevention Workshop is meant to look at the experiences around the world and what research has shown in terms of who commit suicide and the reasons that lead to it.According to Dr. Ramsammy, Guyana has an idea of the reasons but no comprehensive research has been done in that area. “We also want to make people aware that some of the strategies that we have begun are things that have been successfully used in other environments. When somebody commit suicide or attempts suicide in Guyana, maybe the person or the family of the person will be counseled a bit at the hospital, but after that everybody forget about you. We are putting in a system now where we will provide ongoing support for the person and their families,” the Health Minister said.He added that the Health Ministry has commenced a ‘follow back’ strategy, which has been successfully used in some countries that have the world’s highest suicide rates. This strategy looks at the life of a person who attempts suicide and their experiences over the years. It also examines the family and the community in which they live.According to Dr. Ramsammy, if this is done, then the Ministry will be able to establish a profile for the person that attempted suicide.“It is an evidence based approach,Cheap Jerseys Online, we don’t just want to develop prevention strategies because we all sit around a table. We want to develop strategies that are based on evidence. The evidence demonstrates that this is the evidence we are looking for.”The participants at the workshop will also create a community asset mapping to see what is available in a community to provide support for persons who try to kill themselves.While outlining that depression, substance abuse and abusing alcohol are all contributors to people committing suicide, Minister Ramsammy explained that there are people who can’t deal with everyday stress.“It doesn’t matter how much you do, you cannot prevent suicide. The challenge is to make people aware and to reduce the numbers.”Meanwhile,Cheap Jerseys, while people may attempt suicide simply because they are stressed out and fed up of life, at the end of the process, the law provides for them to be charged for trying to kill themselves.In this regard,wholesale jerseys, Minister Ramsammy does not agree with this law, as he noted that attempting suicide is not a criminal act. Dr. Ramsammy does not believe that charging a person would assist them in anyway.“I don’t think that’s the answer because it is not criminal. Somebody who is attempting suicide has problems. Paying the fine would not help to solve the problem. People attempt suicide because they are unable to deal with certain issues; you want to stress people out more?”