PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan encouraged the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) of Bandung City to strengthen its role in handling community mental health, including suicide prevention.

This was conveyed by Farhan when giving a speech and closing the 2026 Bandung City PMI Fundraising Month at the Bandung City Hall on Friday (18/9/2026).

Farhan believes that the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has a network of volunteers and experience in humanitarian response that can be developed to address increasingly complex mental health issues.

"I hope the Indonesian Red Cross will be part of our collective efforts to prevent suicides in Bandung, which occur almost every month," said Farhan.

According to Farhan, the issue of suicide needs to be understood more comprehensively because it is related to the psychological conditions and depression experienced by a person.

Therefore, preventive efforts are not enough if only carried out when someone is already in a state of crisis.

He also encouraged PMI to expand volunteer recruitment because involvement as a volunteer can foster a feeling of being useful to others.

"I hope this expansion of volunteer recruitment will encourage people to benefit others. And this is an excellent tool for preventing suicide," he said.

In addition to expanding the volunteer network, Farhan hopes that PMI will start providing training to volunteers on how to handle people who show signs of suicidal tendencies.

"Perhaps the Indonesian Red Cross has begun to include, in quotation marks, a curriculum for its volunteers on handling people who already have suicidal traits," he said.

Farhan said that the Bandung City Government also took similar steps through training for Guidance and Counseling (BK) teachers by the Indonesian Psychology Graduates Association.

The training is aimed at enabling teachers to conduct assessments on school children.

If further treatment is needed, Farhan said that there are 12 community health centers that have received clinical psychologist placements.

According to him, these efforts need to be strengthened through cross-stakeholder collaboration, including the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the Bandung City Health Office.

"Therefore, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) must respond to this as part of the solution to the problems of modern society. Modern society is experiencing increasingly high levels of stress," he said.

Farhan believes the pressures faced by children today are different from those faced by previous generations.

Competition for education and jobs is getting tougher, while social media makes personal issues known and becomes a concern for many people.

"So, the risk of stress for our children today is much higher than in our time," he said.

Therefore, Farhan asked the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to start partnering with the Bandung City Health Office in developing mental health care.

"Perhaps it's time for the Indonesian Red Cross to partner with the Bandung City Health Department to begin developing mental health care," he said.

In addition to strengthening services, Farhan also highlighted the importance of access for the community to seek assistance.

He said that consultation channels or hotlines need to be strengthened again because some people still feel embarrassed or worried about being found out when they want to seek help.

"Hotlines are important. Next year, I'll make sure we have another hotline," Farhan said.

Farhan also emphasized the importance of the family's role in supporting family members who experience depression.

"That kind of approach isn't possible. It turns out it doesn't work for depression. Well, that's our shared homework," he said.

He also asked the Health Service and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to strengthen their joint efforts in handling and improving the mental health of Bandung City residents.

"I would like to entrust the Health Service and the Indonesian Red Cross to begin taking steps to address the mental health needs of Bandung residents," said Farhan. (ray)

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/bhf)