Sri Lanka’s national mental health helpline has received 19,000 calls recorded during the past nine months alone, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says. This was revealed during a media tour of the Angoda-based facility, where officials disclosed that the toll-free 1926 helpline had received 19,164 calls from across the country.
Since its launch seven years ago, the 1926 service has fielded a total of 162,975 calls, according to NIMH spokespersons.
Last month, the helpline handled 2,500 calls, averaging 82 calls per day, said a senior NIMH official.
Officials said that the service was completely free of charge and assured that caller confidentiality was strictly protected.
By Sujatha Jayaratne