OPD complex and women’s ward inaugurated: CM announces decision to upgrade Sir Cowasjee institute of psychiatry to university level

HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah taking a historic decision has announced to upgrade the 150-year-old Sir Cowasjee Jahangir Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences to the level of a full-fledged university.

“This would be the first ever university of psychiatry & behavioural science in Asia and the institute being the 150-year-old institute deserves to be a university located in the heart of the province, Hyderabad.”

This he said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of OPD Complex and Female Ward at Sir Cowasji Jahangir Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. The programme was organized by Chairman Sindh mental Authority Dr Karim Khwaja. Minister University and Boards Ismail Rahu, Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, MPAs Dr Sohran Sarki, Jabbar Khan, were also present.

Shah said that his father, then Chief Minister Syed Abdullah Shah had visited this institute in 1994 and had inaugurated a ward. “Following the footprints of my father, I have come here on the invitation of Dr Karim to inaugurate New OPD Block and New female Ward,” said Murad Ali Shah

Shah said that mental health was a state of mental well-being that enabled people to cope with the stresses of life. “Only a person with good mental health can play a positive role in Community and Nation,” he said and added, “Mental health was more than the absence of mental disorders and it existed on a complex continuum, which was experienced differently by one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.”

The CM said that the mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, and risk of self-harm or risk to others. Mental health is as necessary as the rest of the body.

Shah said, “The exposure to unfavourable social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental circumstances - including poverty, violence, inequality, and environmental deprivation - also increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions. He added mental health risks and protective factors could be found in society at different scales.

The CM said that local threats heighten the risk for individuals, families, and communities. “Global threats heighten the risk for whole populations which is economic problems, disease outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies, like floods, and forced displacement due to the growing climate crisis,” he said added every single risk and protective factor has only limited predictive strength.

He said that most people do not develop a mental health condition despite exposure to a risk factor and many people with no known risk factor still develop a mental health condition. Nonetheless, the interacting determinants of mental health services enhance or undermine mental health.

The Chief Minister with pride announced to upgrade of the Institute to the level of a state-of-art university. He directed his Minister for U&B Ismail Rahu to get its legal formalities completed so that its charter could be passed by the assembly. “Meanwhile, work would be started,” he declared.

Mehran University Convocation: Speaking at 26th Convocation of Mehran University of Engineering & Technology at the University campus the CM congratulated Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Tauha Hussain Ali, Members of the Senate and the Faculty of Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET), and MUET-Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Campus (Khairpur Mir’s), for holding the convocation.

He said being an Engineer himself, he could very well relate to the feelings of being the recipient of this life-changing degree from this reputable Institution. He added that Mehran University enjoyed an enviable position and it has become a leader and model in quality education.

“I myself have focused on education as the only determinant leading to success and socio-economic development,” he said and added that the time he took oath as the Chief Minister, he set a goal based on his dream to see every child who was out of school back in the classroom, having all facilities enjoyed by students in developing nations.

The CM said that he was delighted to know that Mehran University, has been categorized as a distinguished public-sector Engineering University at the national and international levels - 1st in the province of Sindh and 2nd in Pakistan.

He added, “Mehran University has phenomenal potential to rank in the top 100 universities of the world and I am sure this task would be achieved very soon.”

The Chief Minister said that Pakistan in modern times has multiple challenges - the major challenge it faced was Economic constraints and at the same time catering to the needs of the young people who were unable to seek education, which made up a larger percentage of the country’s population.

“It is our responsibility to give them skill-based training and provide them with opportunities so that we can tap this asset, Shah said and added his government was playing its due role in both, such as contributing as a major revenue-generating Province of the country, which augmented the national exchequer, and secondly by deploying a major portion of its financial resources on improving Education in the province at all levels.

Murad Shah said that the education system in Pakistan was facing critical challenges, including access to higher education for a significant number of Pakistan’s young population, old and impractical pedagogical techniques, brain drain of the most qualified people, and lack of meaningful and relevant research to tackle the most pressing issues facing our country.

The CM said that it was alarming to note that, amongst a population of 220 million, a very small percentage have access to University Level Education. “It is now our collective responsibility to prepare our students to play a pivotal role in the country’s socio-economic development in future times,” he said.

Earlier, Shah gave away degrees to the position holders of the university.

Petaro: The CM at the start of the visit of the Jamshoro chaired the 60th Parents Day. Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that personality grooming, and character building were the most important ingredients of quality education. “In our education system, the quality of education was normally measured through grades in board exams.

The CM said that a few institutions in the country worked on the character-building and personality grooming of their students. He added that Cadet College Petaro was meeting both the needs of their students, personality building, and education for which he applauded the institution and its teachers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022