To deal with the psychiatric problems and diseases of children, the first-ever psychiatry ward and OPD have been established at Sindh Government Children Hospital, North Nazimabad, Karachi , where affected children would be able to get free treatment from experienced psychiatrists and would be provided with free medicines as well.
Dr Karim Khowaja, chairman of the Sindh Mental Health Authority, while addressing the opening ceremony of the ward, said that social problems affected children in a more negative way but unfortunately their mental issues were not taken seriously, and children who grew up with these issues often became a problem for the society.
Syed Gohar Ali Shah, the general manager operations of Poverty Eradication Initiative, said: “Public wellness is the basic philosophy of PEI and the vision of the executive director of the institution, Shahid Yousaf, is to provide ease to the deprived classes of the society.
“Under this vision, PEI is running the Sindh Government Children Hospital under a public-private partnership and wishes to take every possible step for the treatment of the children. This is the result of the public-private partnership that today for the first time in Sindh’s history first-ever psychiatry ward OPD specifically for children has started to work and for this, we are thankful for the cooperation of Sindh Mental Health Authority.”
Admiring the services of the provincial minister of health, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, regarding the procurement of improved health facilities, Syed Gohar Ali Shah vowed that PEI was with her in her mission of providing improved medical facilities to the poor members of our society.
The CEO of the Sindh Government Children Hospital, Dr Taufiq, declared this opportunity as a milestone and said that the best facilities and services of specialists were available free of cost at the ward, and that there would be an addition of beds to the ward soon.
Many psychiatrists and members of civil society, including Professor Iqbal Afridi, Dr Raza Rehman, Dr Suresh Kumar, Dr Neal Kanth, Dr Misbah Munir and Ejaz Ali Khowaja, attended the event.