Guyana launches ‘long overdue’ National Suicide Surveillance System

The Ministry of Health launched the National Suicide Surveillance System, a move described as a critical milestone in the country’s progressive mental health agenda.

Director of the Mental Health Unit, Dr. Timothy Morgan, described the system as “long overdue and very needed” at Tuesday’s launch at the Ministry of Health’s Brickdam office.

The system will allow for real-time tracking and analysis of suicide incidents across the country. This will then drive data-driven solutions and responses to ultimately save lives. Dr. Morgan explained that by identifying trends and patterns early, the system shifts the national response from reactive to proactive.

The system also enables monitoring of existing prevention efforts, including the national suicide hotline, 915, and media training on responsible suicide reporting. Data will be collected every two weeks by national agencies such as the Guyana Police Force, health institutions and other stakeholders.

The data will be filled out via electronic forms and will include information on where death by suicide or attempted suicide occurred; general bio data such as age, ethnicity, etc; the education level and employment status of the individual, along with the method opted and whether the person previously attempted suicide.

Dr. Morgan assured that the information will be stored in a secure server to protect the individuals.

“Guyana, in the way we are dealing with mental health, we are one of the leaders in the Caribbean,” Dr. Morgan said.

Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, commended Guyana for its leadership in mental health reform.

Dr. Barbosa emphasised that timely and accurate data is essential for developing evidence-based policies and strengthening mental health care delivery.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony acknowledged that mental health has long been a neglected area, with Guyana facing significant challenges in institutional reporting.

“For many years, Guyana had high suicide numbers,” Dr Anthony said.

With more than 400 health facilities across the country, the Health Minister revealed that the intention is to ensure citizens can access mental health services at these facilities. But in the meantime, primary care doctors have been trained on protocols to identify and respond to mental health issues.