NO ROSES (this week) for tourism industry
THIS WEEK, I find it difficult to award any roses to the tourism industry. I am forced to highlight a mushrooming situation on Montego Bay’s Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue), which has fast become the home of the mentally ill.
Montegonians will tell you that the Hip Strip, being a relatively safe haven, is one of the main reasons for the migration of the mentally ill from downtown Montego Bay, where they are known to be beaten, raped, and even burnt, by heartless persons.
At least 10 mentally challenged men and women, abandoned by their families and ignored by the authorities, have taken over the section of the strip between Burger King and Dead End Beach.
As comfortable as their new home is to them, this cannot be allowed to continue. In fact, the situation is untenable as one of the females who has taken up residence close to the St James Plaza is extremely violent and has been known to attack locals and tourists.
Two months ago, she had a big brawl with several prostitutes who are also competing for the space. Two days before that incident, she asked a tourist for a cigarette, which she didn’t get. So she hit the person, reportedly visiting from the USA, in the head.
Lest we forget, the USA remains Jamaica’s biggest and most important source market. It is enough that these same tourists are being bombarded with offers of cocaine ganja, sex, and harassment from robot taxis and unregistered tour guides.
To now face the wrath of an unsound mind must be quite disheartening. On many occasions, I have called the ambulance service to no avail. The response is always “We don’t have an ambulance available.”
It is also obvious that there is inefficiency with regard to the presence of an equipped community mental health team. Their job is to deal with aggressive behaviour.
I am also convinced that the authorities have not removed the large contingent living in the area because of the ‘street people’ scandal, which saw us (Montegonians) forcibly removing a number of mentally challenged persons to St Elizabeth, where they were left stranded.
Obviously, we feel that another mass removal will result in an outcry by the citizens, but what well-thinking person want to see is a structural plan to facilitate the decrease in the number of people turning up on the streets.
Family support is going to be very critical. Public education, as well as one-on-one education, is necessary so that Jamaicans will understand that they don’t have to abandon members of their families because of this sickness. Mental illness is a chronic condition, just like heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, and can be treated.
It needs the same type of family support as these other conditions.
A system needs to be put in place so that healthcare is offered to mentally ill persons who have nowhere to live.
March 25-29 is Psychiatric Nursing Aides Week, and I implore families and the community at large to get involved in helping to remove the stigma attached to mental illness.