-mental health literacy strengthened, stigma reduced, access to services for at-risk persons improved

THE International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) hosted a closing ceremony for its SPAR Project: “Safeguarding the Human Dignity and Rights of Populations At-Risk for Ill-Mental Health Across Guyana”, at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, on Thursday.

The project was launched in 2022 through a partnership between IDRF and the Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada), at a cost of CAD$2.9 million, and has worked to strengthen mental health literacy, reduce stigma, expand community-based support, and improve access to early identification and referral services for individuals at risk across Guyana.

This event showcased the project’s impact over the last four years, highlighting community-level achievements, and celebrating the contributions of government partners, educators, civil society groups, and local communities engaged in strengthening Guyana’s mental health response.

For more than 20 years, IDRF has worked alongside Guyanese partners to support health, education, and community empowerment initiatives across the country. The SPAR Project represents a significant milestone in IDRF’s ongoing commitment to improving mental health outcomes and safeguarding the dignity and rights of vulnerable populations.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, in his remarks during the formal portion of the ceremony, said that one of the things that government has done, was to go to parliament where they would have created and passed a new legislative framework that is more oriented to human rights.

The minister said Guyana was at one point, one of the places with a high suicide rate.

Acknowledging that that needed to change, government decided that one way of changing is to pass special legislation to prevent suicide in Guyana.

“We can’t do that if we think it’s just a health sector problem or a health problem. This is a societal problem. All of us got to be involved. And so, one of the things that we created under that piece of legislation was to ensure that we have a Suicide Prevention Commission; and, we wanted, if somebody attempted suicide, that must be reported within a very urgent time frame so that we can identify that this is an issue and that we can respond appropriately. And so that was one of the things that we built in,” Minister Anthony stated.

He added that they also recognised that there is no strategy in place for mental health. Government working with their partners at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), ensured the creation of a mental health strategy.

The minister emphasised that only a few years ago, there were only around two psychiatrists in Guyana. Today, there are several more. To solve the challenge of accessibility to mental health services, in every region there is a resident psychiatrist.

Dr. Anthony underscored, “We want to make sure that we put the psychiatrists in different regions so that people who need these services can go to the psychiatrist within that particular region. And it’s changing the dynamics of mental health illnesses, because now we have somebody to go to.”

The health minister mentioned that there is hope to train more persons who will be deployed across regions. They have already started post-grad training for doctors in Guyana. The use of modern technology is also considered, as government has in place telemedicine apparatus in 81 sites across Guyana.

While these are widely known to be used for other health purposes, the minister noted that in cases of persons who need mental health support, they will be connected to a psychiatrist at the Georgetown Public Hospital at any of these sites.

Dr. Anthony announced, “That’s a service that we offer. So, you can say we’re breaking ground in terms of telepsychiatry; and before the year comes to an end, we want to add another 50 sites across Guyana. So, we’re expanding this network.”

Meanwhile, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Sebastien Sigouin said the SPAR Project has had a great impact, and has shown that much more can be done, and that there is a deep desire within the Guyanese society to address the root causes of mental health challenges in homes, communities and schools nationwide.

It is projects like this, he said, that can make real differences in communities and families that are affected by these challenges.