Kathmandu, Sept 10 

World Suicide Prevention Day is being observed by organizing various programmes across the world including Nepal today.

The World Health Organisation has determined ‘Working Together for Suicide Prevention’ as the main slogan for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day. Ministry of Health and Population and non-government organisations working in the field of health have been celebrating the Day by organizing various public awareness programmes.

The Ministry has been organizing public awareness programmes through virtual medium due to coronavirus. As per the latest data of the WHO, around 800,000 people commit suicide across the world in a year. Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Jageshwor Gautam, said that the suicide cases have increased by 20 to 30 per cent during the lockdown.

The Ministry has also formulated some policy and implemented it to prevent suicide, he said. Spokesperson Gautam also urged people to create environment for holding talks and discussion with friends to promote social bonding and closeness during COVID-19 pandemic. As per the record of the Nepal Police, a total of 29,905 people had committed suicide from 2061/62BS to 2071/72 BS. Similarly, 5,754 people had committed suicide in the fiscal year 2075/76 BS and 6,279 people took their own life in fiscal year 2076/77 BS. Some 16 to 18 people lost their lives due to suicide every day in Nepal. There is a record that 2,218 people have committed suicide from the month of Chaitra to Saun.

Director at the Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control Division, Dr Basudev Pandey, said that a week-long public awareness programme has been organized to prevent suicide. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday had held discussion with psychiatric doctors on how can suicide be prevented. The Division has formed a non-infectious and mental health branch to control suicide.

Awareness programmes have been launched through virtual medium, said the branch chief Dr Phanindra Prasad Baral. Patan Mental Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital have launched a helpline service to create awareness and deal with suicide cases, he said. Chief of the mental disease department at the Teaching Hospital, Dr Saroj Prasad Ojha viewed that the government should bring policies to control suicide cases. Easy availability of pesticides, ropes and poisonous substances in the market should be controlled, he said.

Global COVID-19 pandemic is found to have wrecked its havoc in general people and traders as they are found to be suffering from various problems including mental without jobs and various reasons. Many people across the globe including Nepal are reported to have been left jobless due to the pandemic.