Unable to afford treatment, man hospitalised for mental health issues commits suicide

Trigger warning: Suicide/Self-harm

SUKKUR: A man in Sukkur took his own life on Wednesday because he was unable to cover the costs of his mental health treatment.

Ali Haider, a resident of Mirpur Mathelo, was undergoing treatment for his mental health problems at the private hospital ‘HIRA’ in Sukkur. He was grappling with the challenge of paying high medical fees to doctors and affording essential medications.

Faced with deepening despair over his predicament, Ali Haider jumped from the window of the hospital’s sixth floor in a heart-wrenching decision to end his life.

Following the incident, his body was transported to a civil hospital for postmortem examination.

Mental health is a prevalent issue in developing countries like Pakistan, frequently remaining undiagnosed due to the social and cultural stigma associated with it. In 2012, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported an estimated suicide rate of 7.5 per 100,000 individuals in Pakistan, translating to approximately 13,000 suicides, including teen suicides, that year.