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Riyadh: The Saudi Human Rights Commission has urged the Ministry of Health to take urgent steps to contain the increasing number of suicides.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Health Dr Hamad Al Manie, Turki Bin Khalid Al Sudairy, chairman of the commission, proposed that there should be an agency to take care of mentally disturbed persons who show suicidal tendencies.
He stressed the need for special psychiatry clinics and treatment free of charge for the poor and low income people and to charge nominally from other sections of patients.
Turki Bin Khalid Al Sudairy also suggested appointing specialised male and female psychiatrists and sociology experts to address one of the grave problems facing Saudi society.
"There should be a thrust for religious awareness while offering treatment for those suffering from stress and depression," he said. According to the figures released by the Ministry of Interior four years ago, the number of suicide and suicide attempt cases in the kingdom had exceeded 700 in a year.
These included 96 cases in Riyadh, 44 in the Eastern Province, 24 in Makkah, 20 in Najran, 19 in Asir, 14 in Madinah, 11 in Hail, eight in Jizan, and seven in Al Jouf.
Turki Bin Khalid Al Sudairy, who heads Saudi Arabia's official human rights body, urged the Minister of Health to introduce a toll-free line to enable sufferers to seek remedies for psychiatric problems in the case of those who are hesitating to approach any specialists for treatment.
He also underlined the need to intensify awareness programmes, including publishing of leaflets and holding seminars, with the objective of highlighting the need for medical treatment for mental problems.
Al Sudairy suggested that there should be effective coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs in this respect.
The Saudi media recently carried stories of two Saudi women who attempted to commit suicide by taking overdose of pills following mistreatment from their family members. Even though they were saved by doctors, one of them escaped from her hospital bed after knowing that she would soon be joined with her family.
Saeed Al Gamdi, supervisor of a mortuary in Riyadh, told Gulf News that his medical centre, like other similar centres in the Arab world, has had a black list of those who committed suicide.
However they are not in a position to reveal the figures either to the media, public or to any other concerned agencies. In the case of countries like Britain, figures for 100 per cent of such cases are available with the medical authorities.
"However, in our countries, this is not the case. If we say, for instance, that there are 108 cases, that is only in our register and that figure is not going to be published or made known anywhere else," he said.
Maha Al Hujeilan, a noted Saudi female writer, said that women enjoy less freedom than men and is a major cause of mental disturbances among them.
Maram Al Shaheen, a psychology professor, told Gulf News that most Saudi women, who are experiencing stress and psychiatric problems, are not in a position to get proper treatment.
It is strange that the official figures of the latest number of suicides were not available in Saudi Arabia for the last few years. According to the figures released by the Ministry of Interior four years ago, the number of suicides and suicide attempts in the kingdom had exceeded 700 in a year.
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