Groundbreaking ceremony held: Karachi to have modern neuro-psychiatric hospital

KARACHI: The Children of Adman, a USA-based organisation, will establish a neuro-psychiatric hospital in Karachi with the aim to provide good health services to the people of Sindh and the country.

As chief guest at the groundbreaking ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the neuro-psychiatric hospital to be established at Gadap shall help provide mental health services to patients of all ages and victims of abuse of drug and alcohol.

Provincial Ministers Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Murtaza Wahab, MNA Hakim Baloch, MPAs, special assistant to CM, members of the civil society, office-bearers of CoA Mufti Mohammad Farhan, Dr Syed Tariq Ibrahim, Syed Wasim Quadri, Shahzad Sadan and others were present on the occasion.

The chief minister said there was a need for psychiatric and mental health facilities in Pakistan and in particular Karachi. He added there’s a lack of trained psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors in the city.

Talking about mental health initiatives taken by his government, the CM said 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.

Murad Shah said his government has 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 proudly said that his government had allocated Rs 23.334 billion for the health sector in the budget 2022-23.

Shah 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 Cardio Vascular hospital was being established at Landhi. The CM said the Sindh Mental Health Act 2013 was introduced and accordingly 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 Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Institute of Psychiatry (SCJIP) Hyderabad was being upgraded as a university.

Earlier, briefing the chief minister Shahzad Sadan said the objective of the facility was 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.

He said within the hospital, a centre would be established to focus on personalized medicine, brain stimulation, and paediatric and geriatric mental health. This centre will have brain imaging dedicated to studying brain chemistry, structure, function, and behaviour in mental illness.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023