By: Problyn J. Alpha
Mental health patients are the most vulnerable people that are suffering in very society in Sierra Leone, Africa and the world as a whole. This is according to the executive Director of partners in health (PIH) Dr. Mohamed Barrie.
He made the statement during the official launch of a project titled “mental health Helpline” organized by Partners in Health (PIH) in collaboration with the ministry of Health and Sanitization held at the Kono Musu institute in Koidu City Kono District.
The Mental health Helpline Launched is 5116. Dr. Barrie maintained that before during and after the eleven years civil war in the country, many people with mental challenges suffered in the streets because of abandonment sicknesses, hungry to name but a few.
He pointed out that mental challenge is a critical sickness as not only people living in the streets are mentally sick but even those living in homes as he put it everyone is a potential mental health patient as any minute or hour people are mental sickness.
The executive director of partners in Health thanked the management of his institution and the ministry of health in District for a work well done.
Explaining the purpose for the official launch of the mental health line early, the community Health officer of partners in Health attached to the Koidu Government Hospital Nurse Cathy Conteh Foremost told the audience about the operational areas of partners in Health including its mandates.
She maintained that partners in Health is not only operating in Kono District and the country as a whole but in other countries across the globe adding that PIH is a global organization that is providing health facilities to all and sundry in its operational areas across the globe.
Nurse Cathy further noted that PIH started operations in Kono District sometimes in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak and has provided a lot of health facilities to people during and even after the Ebola outbreak in the country.
She noted that PIH is complementing the tireless effort of the ministry of health and sanitation in the fight against the following sicknesses: Covid-19 virus, HIV and Aids, T.B among many others.
The partners in Health community health officer attached to the Koidu Government Hospital intimated the audience that apart from the aforementioned health facilities which her organization provides for people in its operational areas in the district partners in Health has also expanded on it system by bringing another health facility to the door steps of people in Kono District a project titled “Mental health Helpline with the free toll line 5116 which is meant to addressing mental health challenge and those that may want to commit suicide and murder.
She said the toll free line 5116 is all of the mobile companies operating in the country in order to report to the said call Centre the aforesaid health challenge and crime as mental health is everybody’s responsibility as everyone is a potential mental health patient.
Gonani Chenjzo is the mental health program manager partners in health during his presentation of the mental health helpline in the official launching ceremony maintained that the mental health helpline has at least four cardinal points a psychosocial counseling support, to get supports from partners in Health for patients and their relative a source of mental health education and it also link people up with mental health services.
Concluding manger chejenzo stated that this is the first face of the project Launched noting it was going to continue to the other operational districts of partners in Health in the country.
Others who made statements were the district monitoring officer attached to the Koidu Government Hospital, David Yorpoi, Chiefdom speaker Sandor Chiefdom George Fasuluku, the Director of non-communicable diseases and Sanitation, Dr. Santigie Essay the adviser president appointed on mental health Dr. Carol labor among many others.
