As the family of Abigail Ragobar continue to mourn her passing and news of her story circulated yesterday, questions arose about what led to her death.
Her family has attributed her untimely demise to postpartum depression (PPD) and the days leading up to her death and her struggle with the syndrome have been retold by her sister Charlotte Young Sing.
The young mother of two, including a newborn, fell 40-feet from the balcony of a Tobago house where her family was vacationing on September 5. She succumbed to her injuries at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, on Wednesday.
As many citizens read of her struggle with the syndrome via the T&T Guardian yesterday, citizens everywhere were reminded that there are provisions by employers and various organisations to assist them during times of personal and professional distress.
But while many private companies have Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to help employees who may be encountering such problems, a public sector and national programme seems to be lacking.
Senior public officials yesterday confirmed to the T&T Guardian that the public service had an EAP “in theory alone.” Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Government approved an EAP in 2004 for public servants but it was not officially launched until 2010 under former minister Kennedy Swaratsingh. However, they claimed the programme was currently non-functional.
Admitting there was “some level of service available dependent on the ministry,” the employees explained some ministries were offering individual services but could not say what it included.
Pressed to say what the delay was in introducing one general EAP across the public service, sources replied: “The CPO’s office is like the Bermuda Triangle, when things get there it just gets lost and there is no accountability.”
The office of the Chief Personnel Officer was originally mandated to enforce the EAP but had not acted on it during the last five years due to “administrative setbacks,” the T&T Guardian was told
Contacted on the issue yesterday, Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie said each ministry had different ways of treating an issue like postpartum syndrome. He said the Social Development and Gender Affairs Ministries offered a range of services to the public which could also be accessed by workers needing such services.
This was confirmed by sources at the Education Ministry, who said a service was offered to employees who were experiencing such issues and needed counselling and advice.
Like many private employers, Guardian Media Limited also has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in place to provide assistance to people who may be experiencing emotional, mental and/or psychological distress.
GML officials yesterday confirmed the company’s EAP included counselling along with other provisions recommended by officials, which would be based on the employee’s assessment.
The assessment, which can be done either through self-referral or via a supervisor, focusses on the employee’s medical report as well as their psychiatric and psychological evaluation.
The official said anything impacting a worker’s performance while on the job would be reason enough for that person to be referred to the EAP and could include issues stemming from the home environment.
What is EAP
An EAP is a work-based intervention programme designed to identify and assist employees in resolving personal problems, including marital, financial or emotional problems; family issues and substance/alcohol abuse that may be adversely affecting the employee's performance.
This is typically a service provided by an employer to the employees and is designed to assist employees in getting help for these problems so that they may remain on the job and continue to be effective.
According to online information, the EAP originally focussed on drug and alcohol addiction, with an emphasis on rehabilitating valued employees rather than terminating them for their substance abuse problems.
Over the years, the EAP has been expanded to include not only mental health and substance abuse issues but also general health, wellness and work/life concerns.
It is believed that an EAP could result in various benefits for employers, including lower medical costs, reduced staff turnover/absenteeism and higher employee productivity.