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Long-term trauma counselling pledged for MV Barima survivors, families
…Human Services Minister outlines hotline plans, support for first responders
(Kaieteur News) – Survivors and families affected by the MV Barima tragedy will receive psychosocial support and trauma counselling for as long as it is needed, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud said Wednesday.
Speaking in an interview on GoMoseley Radio, Persaud said she assembled a team from across her ministry immediately after the incident, drawing on the Child Protection Agency, the Family Enhancement Services Section, and the Social Services area to counsel those affected. The Ministries of Health and Education are also providing support, she said.
“We have been able to bring together teams from the Child Protection Agency, the Family Enhancement Services Section, and the Social Services area. And this was quite a number of persons who were engaged initially, and that number is growing based on the obvious need. We have had social workers on the ground in Region One, Region Two, and at the command centers, including the Umana Yana,” Persaud said.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindyha Persaud
Social workers have remained with affected families throughout every stage of the response, she said, including at the mortuary and the hospital, offering counselling and trauma-focused support.
“With persons being identified, the social work teams in the regions where those persons have been identified have been going out and will continue to go out to engage with families who have lost and even survivors, because trauma is there, whichever way you look at it. Grief is there, and we are working assiduously and consistently with those families because a number of them are also children. We’re working with the children,” she explained.
The Guyana Association of Professional Social Workers is also assisting, she added.
Support planned for first responders
Asked whether resources would be extended to emergency responders and social officers who have been assisting families, Persaud said a plan is already being discussed to support those workers as well.
“Because the magnitude of what has happened has really brought together so many people, so many people in a united, coordinated way to address the different levels of this tragedy — whether it’s the healthcare officers, the human services officers, the first responders who went in, the persons who were engaged in the search,” she said.
Counselling support has already begun for staff of the Transport and Harbours Department, which lost a number of crew members in the tragedy, she noted.
National hotline in the works
Minister Persaud said officials are also discussing setting up a hotline so members of the public — including those not directly affected — can call for support and comfort.
“This loss, this is devastating to anyone, and even if you speak to a Guyanese person who may not be directly affected, I think it is taking a toll on people. We are all crying, people are crying. The stories out there — when you see the news stories, when you talk to people — it’s traumatic for everyone. So, we’re even looking at that kind of a service going forward, so people can just call and get some words of comfort,” she said.
The minister has also asked religious communities to support affected families and communities during this period.
Minister Persaud said the ministry intends to sustain the support “for as long as is needed,” and acknowledged that the toll extends to responders themselves.
“I want to say one of the things we want to do is to keep it continuous for as long as is needed… and even those persons who are offering this support, our social service officers — I’m also thinking at some point in time too, I have to get counselling for them, because they’ve been dealing with these emotions all the time,” she said.
She added that offers of counselling support have also come in from Guyanese overseas, and that officials are working to coordinate a comprehensive, organised response.
The MV Barima capsized Saturday night roughly seven miles offshore near Iron Punt, in the vicinity of the Pomeroon River, while on a scheduled voyage from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, Region One. Approximately 179 people — passengers and crew — along with cargo were aboard. The tragedy has claimed 65 lives; 76 people were rescued.
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