HGP Nightly News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed is calling for psychologists, grief counsellors and psychosocial-support teams to be deployed urgently to Region One, warning that survivors and families affected by the MV Barima disaster are carrying profound emotional trauma.
The call followed Mohamed’s weekend visits to Port Kaituma and Mabaruma, where he met 19 survivors and 29 families who lost relatives.
According to his office, the discussions revealed the depth of the psychological distress facing parents, children, spouses and siblings whose lives were changed by the capsizing.
“The emotional wounds left by this disaster will not heal overnight,” his office said.
Mohamed urged Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud to deploy trained mental-health professionals throughout the affected communities.
He said counselling should also be available in surrounding villages and any other area where survivors and bereaved relatives live.
The Opposition Leader argued that a short-term intervention would be insufficient. Families require sustained support as they confront loss, uncertainty and the eventual decline in national attention.
Some survivors escaped after witnessing relatives and fellow passengers drown. Other families remain without confirmation of what happened to loved ones who are still missing.
The prolonged search and identification process has added another layer of emotional strain.
The government has established family-assistance centres and deployed officials to work with affected families. Mohamed said those services must be strengthened and kept in place after the immediate emergency has passed.
His call echoed concerns raised by WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus, who previously warned that survivors, relatives, rescue workers, fishermen and volunteers could face lasting psychological harm without structured support.
During the visits, Mohamed also distributed financial assistance to the 19 survivors and 29 bereaved families.
The money came from the first phase of a month-long donation drive organised by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition with contributions from Guyanese at home and abroad, including WIN supporters in New York.
Mohamed’s office said more than $10 million was raised within the drive’s first 24 hours. It did not disclose the amount given to each recipient.
The assistance is intended to provide immediate relief to survivors and families, some of whom reportedly lost clothing, telephones, goods and other belongings aboard the ferry.
The MV Barima capsized on July 18 while travelling to Port Kaituma. At the latest count cited by Mohamed’s office, 76 people had been rescued, 73 bodies recovered and at least 30 people remained unaccounted for.
Mohamed pledged to continue supporting survivors and bereaved families while pressing for answers and accountability.
He also committed to ensuring that funds collected through the donation drive reach those most affected.
For families in Port Kaituma, Mabaruma and nearby communities, however, financial relief addresses only part of the loss. Mohamed said professional counselling must now become an urgent and sustained part of the national response.
