Fountain House to be developed as top-notch mental health institution

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President and a leading psychiatrist Prof Dr Imran Khan hoped that Fountain House Peshawar (FHP), which is a constituent institute of Khyber Medical University (KMU), would be developed as a state-of-the-art mental health institution.

He expressed these views while representing the Pakistan Psychiatric Society at a high-level meeting about FHP at KMU. Besides eminent psychologists of LRH, KTH, HMC, FHP and KIMS Kohat, Vice Chancellor KMU, Prof Dr Ziaul Haq, former vice-chancellors Prof Dr Muhammad Daud Khan, Prof Dr Muhammad Hafizullah, Registrar KMU Prof Dr Saleem Gandapur, Prof Mukhtiarul Haq general secretary PPS KP chapter and Dr Muslim Khan project director FHP also attended the meeting. Dr Imran Khan informed the participants that FHP would soon become a constituent part of KMU which would be run in collaboration with the provincial government. He said that the KMU-FHP platform would help promote mental health as well as special focus on the scholarship and research in the field of mental health and behavioral sciences.

Dr Mukhtarul Haq, General Secretary, PPS KP, said that the provision of state-of-the-art clinical care facilities for the province with 250 beds in FHP would also be ensured. He said that a clinic and rehabilitation unit would soon be set up under the auspices of FHP to treat and rehabilitate drug addicts as well as to make drug addicts useful citizens of the society. KMU Vice-Chancellor Dr Ziaul Haq said that under the Institute KMU would offer a wide-ranging portfolio of academic programmes including Bachelor of Science in Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences, Certificate, diploma, and Master programs in mental health, Masters/MPhil in Global Mental Health, Masters/MPhil in clinical research, MCPS/FCPS/MD and PhD in mental health. He said that additionally the institution would offer a comprehensive continuous professional development program to all cadres of health providers involved in imparting mental health services in the province.