Health system not satisfactory, says SC judge

LAHORE

Senior judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Saturday said the current system of health is not satisfactory.

Addressing a ceremony at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Justice Saqib said it is the responsibility of the state to provide good health facilities but in actuality the people have to run from pillar to post to get treatment at hospitals.

The SC Justice said everything was shown good on paper yet there was no implementation of policies.

"There are 24 fundamental rights in the Constitution and the most important is the right to life", he remarked adding that it was the collective duty of legislature, judiciary and executive to focus on the right to life and health.

Saqib said mentally ill people needed more care and protection as compared to normal people. "However, the society is cruel and does not lend a helping hand to such people," he maintained.

He said there existed no law under which the cases of those persons with some sort of mental illness could be dealt in with. He urged medical experts and forensic psychiatrists to come up with suggestions and recommendations and convince the legislators to frame laws in this regard.

"Give us laws and develop a proper system of assessment and evaluation of the offenders with mental illnesses, and, I assure you, the courts will always support you", he remarked.

Justice Saqib said the case of death of patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) due to wrong drug, on which the SC took suo motu notice, was not closed yet.

"The case has been shifted from Lahore Registry to Islamabad and we have widened the scope. Now the revamping of whole medical system has been included in it", he informed.

The SC Justice welcomed foreign delegates of the conference and asked them to visit Lahore without any fear. "If you have any concerns, tell me; I will accompany you myself", he assured.

The chief organizer of the conference, Prof Dr Mowadat Hussain Rana, said that there existed a yawning gap in the forensic mental health services in the country.

"There are no training institutions, nor formal qualifications in the field of forensic psychiatry, that can produce forensic psychiatrists", he said adding that UHS had taken the initiative of development of training opportunities and setting up of scientific services in the field of forensic psychiatry by organizing the conference.

He further said that Sindh had adopted Mental Health Act. Efforts were underway to follow suit in other provinces. The fruition of these efforts could only be enjoyed if a robust system of forensic psychiatric services was in place to implement the Mental Health Act of Pakistan 2001 in letter and spirit, he opined.

UHS Vice Chancellor Maj-Gen (retd) Prof Muhammad Aslam, Member Board of Governors Prof Malik Hussain Mubbashar, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Sobia Khan also spoke.