Institute of Psychiatry announces two worthy campaigns on New Year

Rawalpindi

The Institute of Psychiatry here at Benazir Bhutto Hospital in town while greeting new year to senior health professionals and trainees serving at the allied hospitals has announced two worthy campaigns including one against child sexual abuse and the other for young doctors to join the fight against mental illness stigma by pursuing a career in mental health to make a difference.

I hope the achievements of the institute of psychiatry in the year 2016 have brought a state of fulfilment for the mental healthcare professionals serving in it and any shortcomings therein would only increase their vigour to make 2017 even better, said Head at the Institute of Psychiatry Professor Dr. Fareed Aslam Minhas who is also Dean Faculty of Psychiatry at College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan.

He said the year 2016 has been very fruitful for psychiatry in Pakistan in general, and the institute of psychiatry in specific as the institute engaged healthcare professionals in various academic activities with the aim to serve those suffering from mental health problems.

To mark the end of this calendar year, and in order to welcome the new one, I would like to announce two campaigns that I am inviting you to partake in, he said while addressing healthcare professionals serving at the institute and at healthcare facilities all across Pakistan.

He said the first campaign is against the ever growing challenge against child sexual abuse and for the first time, the institute produced a docudrama; a fictional depiction of reality, followed by informational care for the masses that can be reached through the following link:  https://www.facebook.com /Ioprwp/videos/235890146851028/

Professor Minhas himself appeared in the docudrama prepared by the institute that impressively conveys a message to masses to fight against child sexual abuse and is a great effort to create awareness among public on what can be done to avoid child molestation.

Talking of the second campaign, Professor Minhas said the second campaign aims at increasing the influx of young doctors into psychiatry and increase awareness of psychiatry in non-psychiatrists. For this purpose, the institute of psychiatry has already prepared posters that are being circulated widely among health professionals with the help of electronic mail, he said.

“I hope that the healthcare professionals will play their part wholeheartedly in the two campaigns for which a new Facebook page has been designed on which videos would be uploaded. These campaigns will be furthered, initially, with your help, from this social media platform,” said Professor Minhas.

The second campaign namely ‘Be the Change’ invites young doctors to join psychiatry to ‘Dare to care for people with mental health problems’. One of the three posters prepared by the institute of psychiatry carries a message that mental health services in Pakistan needs urgent attention as 75 per cent of people identified with serious mental health conditions in Pakistan receive no care.  The poster contains the fact that there are only 300 psychiatrists in Pakistan while for ideal provision of mental health services, we need at least 9000 psychiatrists. Invest your career in psychiatry and help Pakistan overcome this treatment gap, reads the poster.