Mayor to declare Banjarmasin free of shackle

Illustration. (Photo special)

Earlier the list was clear, there were related agencies, then there were law enforcement officers, then there were health workers, the volunteers as well. I think that the ones who face the situation most directly are the heads of villages and chiefs

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Mayor H Ibnu Sina reacted knowing that 14 cases of pasung (shackle or physical restraint) were found against people suffering from mental disorders in the city. He wanted to declare Banjarmasin free from shackle as soon as possible.

Ibnu Sina wants to declare Banjarmasin as the free city of pasung at the commemoration of the Independence Day on August 17, 2019. He told this at a cross-sectoral synergy coordination meeting at City Hall on Wednesday.

This is a mental health program from the Banjarmasin Health Service, after the agency released the discovery of 14 cases of pasung during 2019 to July.

As a first step, Ibnu Sina together with all the sub-district heads, village heads and relevant agencies involved in the program signed a commitment to implement it.

Ibnu Sina said the strong desire to free the city from the habit of human shackling due to mental problems as a noble step. But this desire, he said, cannot be done by him or just one institution, but it must be done jointly and across sectors.

"Earlier the list was clear, there were related agencies, then there were law enforcement officers, then there were health workers, the volunteers as well. I think that the ones who face the situation most directly are the heads of villages and chiefs of neighborhood unit (RT) and community unit (RW) officials in each region," he said.

Head of Health Office Machli Riyadi said, there had been 14 cases of pasung being handled in 2019, most recently his allegations in the area of Banua Anyar, East Banjarmasin.