MP wants counseling office for parliamentarians

A Member of Parliament is proposing that an office is set up to provide counseling services to parliamentarians. According to the MP for Amenfi West, Eric Afful said it is dangerous that parliament does not have such a unit. The MP’s comment followed reports of several suicide cases recorded this year.

The case is becoming alarming, prompting the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Mental Health Authority to reiterate calls on Parliament to decriminalize attempted suicide.

In an interview with Onua Fm, Dr Akwasi Osei who heads the Authority lamented lack of patronage to counseling services, which he said is contributing to several of the suicide cases.

He said people have issues but because they don’t talk to counselors, they end up deciding to take their life. It is against this backdrop that the Amenfi West legislator expressed worry over lack of counseling services at Parliament, adding that it is sad that parliamentarians who go through a lot of stress from both their constituents and work in Parliament, will not have anybody to counsel them.

“It is sad and it is bad that we the parliamentarians have no counseling services. We also need to talk to somebody but there is none? A whole parliament and we don’t have counseling office. I am proposing that this be done and it will save a lot of us, me inclusive.

We need counselors in Parliament” Amenfi West legislator promised to champion a crusade to ensure that Parliament gets a counseling office which can go a long way to provide relief to under pressured Members.

“I will draw the attention of the house and the leaders of the house to this, even if it will take me to lay a paper. This is very important”