Centre for research on suicide prevention established in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi : Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) organised the observance of World Suicide Prevention Day in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning, Secretariat Parliamentary Task Force on sustainable development goals (SDGs), and Global Mental Health Research Group, the University of Manchester, UK.

On the observance of World Suicide Prevention Day and declaring a call of action, the Country’s first National Centre of Research on Suicide Prevention was launched at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi region.

Riaz Fatyana, MNA/Convener National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs announced the establishment of the Centre. The Centre is established in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning (PILL) along with Global Mental Health Research Group, University of Manchester (UK) as an allied partner. The Centre aims to provide research-based information for informed policymaking, preventing suicidal tendencies and promoting the promotion of healthy responsible behaviours in society.

Highlighting the importance of Suicide Prevention Day, Dr. Saima Hamid, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University, Prof Nasim Chaudhry (CEO Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning), Prof. Dr. Nusrat Hussain (Professor of Psychiatry, Director Research Global Mental Health, at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom), Prof. Imran Bashir Chaudhry (Chairman Dept of Psychiatry, Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi), and Dr Aneela Maqsood (Head of Dept of Behavioral Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women University) deliberated on the importance of the preventive measures for reducing the suicide rate in Pakistan.