Murad stresses need for psychiatric and mental health facilities

Islamabad: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that it is a good omen that philanthropists are coming over to provide the best health services to the ailing people, particularly the poor and helpless.

“The Children of Adman, an American-based organization, has established a neuropsychiatric hospital in Karachi with the aim to provide good health services to the people of the province and the country,” he said while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the first-of-its-kind neuropsychiatric hospital being established by NGO Children of Adam (CoA) in Gadap to provide mental health services to patients of all ages.

Provincial ministers Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Nasir Hussain Shah, adviser Murtaza Wahab, MNA Hakim Baloch, MPAs, special assistant to the CM, members of the civil society, COA office-bearers Mufti Mohammad Farhan, Dr Syed Tariq Ibrahim, Syed Wasim Quadri and Shahzad Sadan also attended the ceremony.

The CM said there was a lack of trained psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors to meet the growing demand of Karachi.

Speaking about mental health initiatives taken by his government, he said that the state of mental health awareness and its services in Pakistan remained a big issue.

“As per statistics, in Pakistan, over 15 million people are suffering from some form of mental illness; however, only a small percentage of people suffering from mental health conditions are able to seek the proper help they need,” he said.

Shah said his government had made a significant investment in healthcare facilities and established 31 new hospitals with 701 beds and upgraded/expanded infrastructure in 108 existing hospitals with 771 beds for primary healthcare facilities, upgraded/rehabilitated teaching hospitals, and district/taluka Hospitals in the last few years.

He further said that his government had allocated Rs23.334 billion for the health sector in the budget 2022-23. He said the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences had established a lung cancer unit which would be inaugurated shortly.

“The Gambat Institute has performed over 700 liver transplant procedures free of cost, which is a record itself,” he said and added another cardiovascular hospital was being established in Landhi.

The CM said that the Sindh Mental Health Act 2013 was introduced and accordingly the Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA) was established in 2017.

“The authority has the mandate to deal with all matters relating to the promotion of mental health, setting standards, and prevention of mental disorders. Sindh is a pioneer in Pakistan to legislate for mental health and establish this authority,” he said and added that Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Institute of Psychiatry (SCJIP) Hyderabad was being upgraded as a university.

Earlier, briefing the chief minister, Shahzad Sadan said that the objective of the facility is to provide services for bipolar disorders, autistic disorders/MR/pervasive developmental disorders, schizophrenic disorders, anxiety, depression, electroconvulsive therapy, and rehabilitation services. CoA intends to establish one of the best mental health research hospitals of the country in Karachi at a cost of Rs4 billion.

Within the hospital, a center would be established to focus on personalized medicine, brain stimulation, and pediatric and geriatric mental health. This center will have brain imaging dedicated to studying brain chemistry, structure, function, and behavior in mental illness.

The centre would provide intervention in brain stimulation treatment using magnetic seizure therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, providing hope for people with treatment-resistant depression.

The CM was told that the CoA was establishing a comprehensive 150-bed inpatient and outpatient hospital to provide the best possible care to its patients. The CM performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the hospital by unveiling the plaque and planting a tree.