The Tawau MP said this hotline could be one of the contents in a wider Covid-19 suicide prevention state campaign.
She made the call in the wake of a suicide attempt by a 15-year-old girl who was eventually saved by rescuers from the Fire and Rescue Department yesterday.
“The current situation is worrying as Wednesday’s attempt is the third case in the state capital since Nov 18. The first two incidents were tragic suicides.
“This serves as a strong signal to the authorities that something is not right and desperate individuals need help urgently.
“The proposed life-saving hotline would complement the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Services initiated by the Sabah Health Department last month,” she said in a statement.
The girl, said to be seriously affected by family problems, had tried to take her own life by jumping into Sungai Sembulan here yesterday but was saved by firemen soon after.
They spent five minutes trying to persuade her from jumping but failed. However, they managed to rescue her, thanks to the firemen who had been on standby in the river.
Liew said the hotline should be manned by professional counsellors and serve as an avenue for troubled people affected by the extended conditional movement control order (CMCO) to seek counselling or any reasonable aid.
“A Covid-19 suicide prevention campaign would raise awareness that life is worth living and taking one’s own life is not a shortcut to free oneself of personal woes.
“More importantly, suicide is preventable if help is readily available to those with such thoughts. They need to know there are compassionate people in the society who will listen and care about their well-being, and are willing to help them out.”
Liew said the public can reach out to two NGOs, Befrienders’ free confidential helpline (016-8036945) and Kawan Bah’s helpline (012-7753020) for emotional support.
Last week, Befrienders also expressed concern about the rising number of suicide cases.
Befrienders Kota Kinabalu publicity director Jessie Yong said more people have called their Sabah hotline since the MCO was enforced in March and the number was almost equal to last year’s total figure.
She said 1,375 calls were received between March and October, of which about 30% were from callers having suicidal tendencies.
“We received 1,473 calls throughout the previous (year), where only 20% were suicidal,” Yong said.
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