Official: Mental health needs attention

By LULU MARK
MENTAL health interventions for the public should not be neglected by the Government during the Covid-19 pandemic, an official says.
Papua New Guinea Nurses Association (PNGNA) president Frederick Kebai said the psychological aspect of the management of the Covid-19 was very important which the Government needed to consider because without a sound mind, sound decisions could not be made.
Kebai said going through the Covid-19 would be a psychological trauma and many people across the country were experiencing it.
Therefore, he said “psychological first aid should be part of the Covid-19 management”.
Kebai said the psychological first aid training had to be provided to nurses looking after the Covid-19 patients, the patients and the public, including the psychiatric nurses and patients.
“Enough personal protective equipment should be available at all the psychiatric set ups in the country, including Laloki Psychiatric Hospital and all the provinces,” he said.
“A mentally ill patients’ mind is switched off and they don’t know what is right and what is wrong and should one of them become infected, he or she will spread the Covid-19 like wildfire.”