ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, President Dr. Arif Alvi urged all parties to work together to prevent and treat mental health disorders, including the federal and provincial governments, the community, and medical professionals.
A serious concern, he said, was that only 500 to 600 mental health professionals were available in the nation to meet the needs of the 24 percent of the population who were suffering from mental health-related problems. In addition to strengthening the capacity of general health professionals by providing them with training to address the issue of the rising prevalence of mental health disorders, he emphasized the need for more mental health professionals. While presiding over a meeting on mental health, the president shared these opinions.
President of Pakistani American Psychiatric Association of North America (PAPANA), Dr Muhammad Zeeshan, representatives of the National Commission of Human Rights, World Health Organization, Pakistan Psychological Association, Pakistan Psychiatric Society, Taskeen Health Initiative, and Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, attended the meeting.
Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Prof Dr M Waqar Azeem, Professor of Psychiatry and Program Director at the University of Nevada, Dr Mujeeb Shahd, Executive Vice Chair and Professor of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Prof Dr Asim Shah, Director Muslim Mental Health Consortium, Prof Dr Farah Abbasi, Child Fellowship Director at the Harvard Medical School, Dr Zheala Qayyum, and Program Director Residency and Addiction Fellowship at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, Dr Nauman Ashraf, attended the meeting virtually.
The participants gave various suggestions to cope with the challenge of mental issues.
The meeting emphasized the need for raising awareness about the diseases, educating people about mental health, eliminating the stigma attached to it, and providing quality counseling and treatment to mental health patients.
The participants also called for capacity-building and training of health professionals in Pakistan, adding that a central coordinating mechanism among various stakeholders, was also essential to avoid duplication of efforts.
The meeting also underscored the need for developing a national autism plan.
Prof Dr Rizwan Taj from PIMS informed the meeting that the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination had established an autism centre at PIMS, adding it would be a role model for provinces and other hospitals to follow.
The president appreciated the role of overseas Pakistani medical professionals, especially PAPANA, for supporting the initiative on mental health.
