Latest update April 1st, 2025 5:37 PM
Suicide Prevention Bill among several read for first time in the National Assembly
Kaieteur News – The much anticipated Suicide Prevention Bill was tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday. The Bill was among several others to be read in the House for the first time along with the Medical Practitioners Amendment Bill 2022, The Restorative Justice Bill, and The Bail Bill.
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony
In his presentation, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said the Suicide Prevention Bill is among several legislative amendments in the health sector that will improve service delivery locally and will aid efforts to curb suicide.
He said, “This is a bill that we have been working on for some time and that is, it encompasses things we can do to prevent suicide. The bill also provides for the repeal of a section of our law that criminalizes persons who attempt suicide. This has been something people have been advocating for a long time…”
Minister Anthony noted too that while the rate of suicide in Guyana has been decreasing, suicide remains a serious mental health problem.
According to the Bill’s explanatory memorandum, the law, once passed, would provide for a Suicide Prevention Commission which would include the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Psychiatrist, Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency, and other members to be appointed by the minister.
The Bill, listed as Bill No. 11 of 2022, also provides for the preparation of the National Suicide Prevention Plan that will include an overview of suicide in Guyana including quantifying the number of suicide-related deaths, methods used, and the high-risk factors for suicide.
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall SC.
“If people present themselves to the health centre or to the hospital then our doctors must be capable of identifying and detecting, depression and by doing that early, you can effect treatment to prevent suicide from happening,” Dr. Anthony said.
“We need to put an effective programme in place, so that we can detect depression, treat depression and prevent suicide, and we need more partnerships, more people in the community who can act as a safety net for persons, who might be vulnerable to depression and things like that. So if we have stronger community relations, stronger community leadership, then it can help us to identify these persons who are vulnerable and work with them to give them the kind of support they would need during this period of vulnerability,” the Health Minister added.
In the meantime, the Medical Practitioners Amendment Bill deals with the requirement for a person who is a national of another Caricom member state to be registered with the Medical Council of Guyana. The amendment is to remove that requirement from the law.
OTHER BILLS
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C, also read for the first time the Restorative Justice Bill of 2022, as well as the Bail Bill of 2022.
The Restorative Justice Bill seeks to provide for rehabilitation in the criminal justice system with a primary objective repairing the harm caused by an offence.
Overall, Nandlall said the Bill reaffirms government’s commitment to strengthening the justice system in Guyana, and reducing the prison population through alternative sentencing.
Under this Bill, offenders, when participating in restorative justice, may be required to take steps to repair the harm done to the victim.
However, if the offender is a juvenile, the principles and measures relating to the juvenile justice system shall apply to eligible offenders.
Another part of the Bill seeks to establish an Advisory Council on Restorative Justice which shall consist of 10 members. That body shall be chaired by the minister.
This council will monitor the effectiveness of the programmes and provide advice and recommendations to the minister on the design and content of restorative justice programmes, implementation and delivery of restorative justice programmes, and policies regarding restorative justice.
As it relates to the Bail Bill, the proposed law seeks to address the granting and refusal of bail. With the current confinement time period set at 72 hours before a court order must be obtained, the Bill will shift the time frame to only 24 hours.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the Bill seeks to provide for bail reform in Guyana, which is a key component in remedying overcrowding in prisons.
“The Bill recognises that a person is innocent until proven guilty and that every person has a right to their personal liberty. Accordingly, the Bill establishes that there is a right to bail and sets out clear circumstances where bail may be refused,” the document read.
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