A group of psychological experts have slammed Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong for his choice of words yesterday regarding the mental health of Covid-19 patients.
At a press conference yesterday, Tynsong described a married couple who were kept separately at a corona centre and hospital and then broke out to get back together as suffering from “some psychological problem.”
In a release, the Trained Psychotherapeutic Professionals of Meghalaya (TPPM) said that this choice of words “shows how ignorant and irresponsible he (Tynsong) is as a public figure and he should be removed from the office he sits in as he had shown in the many interactions that he has had … that he has no temperament nor understanding of the plight of the citizens of the state are in during the pandemic.”
No signatories were listed on the release.
To describe mental health issues as “some problem” is a way of stigmatising sufferers and for people near the top of government to do so is worrying.
“We, who deal with mental health issues on a daily basis, find his statement insulting and demeaning to people who actually have and are fighting with psychological issues in their daily lives and for a person of his status to make such demeaning statements shows exactly what is wrong with a system that takes human lives and problems for granted,” TTPM added.
It added that the minister organises a sensitisation programme on mental health and enrol himself in it so “that he does not make a mockery of himself”.
In addition, the group called on the government to implement an offline system for Covid-19 vaccination registration so that all members of society have equal access to getting the jab.
