Amrutham Gamaya to to bring down alarming suicide rate in Kollam
With Kollam recording the topmost suicide rate in India, the district panchayat is all set to launch Amrutham Gamaya, an emotional immunisation programme to identify vulnerable persons and provide them psychological support and continued individual attention. A first-of-its kind initiative by a local body, the project is expected to bring down the suicide rate in the district that is currently four times higher than the national average.
“As per records, the Karunagapally police station alone has recorded 210 suicides from 2017 to 2020. The reasons include family problems, indebtedness, substance abuse, and even social media-related issues. While 80% of people who commit suicide are men the coastal belt and eastern ghat section of the district have reported the maximum number of suicide cases,” says K. Prasad, district panchayat secretary.
Four zones
The panchayat officials have divided the district into four zones, including rural, coastal, eastern, and urban to implement Amrutham Gamaya. Depending on the volume of cases, 100 wards cutting across Corporation and municipal and village panchayat areas will be focussed in the first phase of the project and door-to-door surveys will be held for data collection. “We have prepared a questionnaire with the help of psychiatrists and other experts to identify potential social and emotional issues. The survey will be conducted at 100 homes in each ward covering a total of 10,000 families,” says district panchayat president Sam K. Daniel.
Continuing education preraks and Accredited Social Health Activists (Ashas) will be in charge of conducting the survey and they will be trained on how to interact with people during data collection to get vital details. After the survey, regular campaigns to spread awareness will be held and the authorities are planning to rope in celebrities, including actors. “Apart from general sessions, individual cases will be offered all support, including tele-conselling,” says Mr. Prasad. The project is being implemented with the support of District Literacy Mission Authority, Women and Child Development Department, and various voluntary organisations.
Taking into account the different risk factors, including previous attempts, mental health issues, and social isolation, the district panchayat will also arrange a permanent system to provide counselling for persons belonging to the most vulnerable category. “We have already started training investigators for the primary survey. It will be a continued programme as repeated intervention is required in many cases. Unlike routine counselling programmes, Amritutam Gamaya will monitor people for a long duration of period and offer them medical and emotional support. We hope to bring down the number of suicides with consistent efforts,” says Mr. Daniel.
Source: Read Full Article