Theresa May appoints suicide prevention minister

In what has become one of its kind, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has appointed the country’s first ever Minister for Suicide Prevention in a bid to cut the number of people taking their own lives.

A British Government press release on Thursday said May announced that health minister Jackie Doyle-Price to become the UK’s first Minister for Suicide Prevention.

“The appointment was made on Tuesday to mark the World Mental Health Day held on Wednesday a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.’’

According to the press release, nearly 4,500 people take their own lives each year in England and suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 45.

The prime minister also announced other plans to tackle suicide problems in Britain.

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“New government funding up to 1.8 million pounds (about 2.4 million dollars) will be raised to help ensure the charity can continue to provide immediate and lifesaving support to everyone who needs it, 24 hours daily.’’

The government also promised to train a million people in mental health awareness, publish a “State of the Nation” report annually starting from 2019, and provide tools to help schools measure their students’ mental wellbeing. “We can end the stigma that has forced too many to suffer in silence.

“We can prevent the tragedy of suicide taking too many lives, and we can give the mental wellbeing of our children the priority it so profoundly deserves,” the prime minister tweeted on her official Twitter account.

 

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