Mozambique / Attempted Suicides Worry Healthy Authorities

Maputo — Maputo, 25 Out (AIM) – The Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest
health unit in Mozambique, is concerned with increasing number of suicides
and attempted suicides across the country, particularly among children and
adolescents.

This concern was expressed in Maputo, on Monday, by the Emergency and
Paediatrics’ Service Director, Otília Gonçalves, at a press conference in
Maputo.

In Mozambique, the annual number of attempted suicide recorded by health
authorities jumped from 263 cases in 2014 to reach 6,500 in 2020.

Of the 11 provinces, the Mozambican capital Maputo recorded the largest
increase, from 1126 cases in 2019 to 1,937 cases in 2020, which is a 72 per
cent increase.

According to Gonçalves, the number of attempted suicides is worrisome
taking into account that only a fraction is recorded by the national health
system.

“In the last month alone, we reported three cases of attempted suicides of
both children and adolescents, all of them from the age group 12 and 16
years, due to family problems”, she revealed.

Gonçalves believes that nothing justifies people taking their own lives,
therefore she advocates greater dialogue within the family and social
circles.

In 2015, the government approved the National Suicide Prevention Plan to
promote awareness about the importance of mental health in the country.

Unfortunately, it is still incipient and a considerable number of people
only seek medical help in extreme cases, especially in rural areas.

The latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, dated 2016, puts
Mozambique with a rate of 4.9 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants.