The Department of Health (DOH) is looking into whether it should set up a dedicated mental health intervention program in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), following cases of suicide among teachers reportedly due to stress at work.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday said they would investigate and validate if there is indeed a growing number of suicide incidents among teachers so that they would be able to come up with a suitable intervention. He noted that there’s also a need to understand why this is happening within the profession.
Over the last few days, educators’ groups Alliance of Concerned Teachers and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition raised concern about the suicide cases among teachers supposedly due in part to their heavy workload.
While the DOH is still looking into the matter, Duque reminded the public, especially those who may have mental health issues, that they can contact the DOH’s 24/7 Hopeline to either help them unburden their emotional baggage or to seek professional help.
Hopeline can be reached via tel. no. (02) 8044673, mobile no. 0917 558 4673 or toll-free 2919 for Globe and TM subscribers. /kga