Fountain House, Lahore will set up state-of-the-art mental health treatment and rehabilitation centres in all the divisional headquarters of Punjab. Announcing this, Dr Amjad Saqib, Chairman Management Committee of Fountain House, Lahore said the first the first mental health facility would be built in Sarghoda for which land has also been acquired.
He said that an endowment fund of Rs100 million had been set up with the help of philanthropists to meet the recurring expenses of the Fountain House.
He said Fountain House, a non-government mental health facility, has been providing psychiatric and psychological care to thousands of mentally dejected, stressed, stuck in severe pain, anarchy and agony patients.
All who could hardly help themselves and are left away at the Institute by their relatives for an unlimited period - sometimes for a life time, are being provided care/ treatment, medicine, therapies, food and shelter in the Fountain House, Dr Saqib added.
He said Fountain House Lahore is a unique institution of its kind offering mental health services in the country with the help and support of donors and philanthropists.
Presently it is serving to the rehab needs of over 400 (300 males - 100 females) individuals with mental health illnesses from all over Pakistan.
He said apart from providing psychiatric treatment and rehab facilities, art and drama therapy unit, the Fountain House offers variety of services. It is also running a day time Institute for Gifted Children for mentally handicapped children. The main objective is to provide vocational and technical education to the mentally handicapped children so that they may merge into their mainstream communities.
Fountain House Farm Farooqabad, District Sheikhpura, spread over 25 acres is another landmark in the history of the foundation. The aim of this facility is to provide special rehab services in a unique setting for individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders belonging to rural areas. The farm provides a familiarly surrounding for these individuals where they can be successfully treated.
It may be added that according to a report of Pakistan Medical Association incidence and prevalence of mental disease have both increased tremendously in the background of growing insecurity, terrorism, economical problems, political uncertainty, unemployment and disruption of the social fabric.
It said the sinking below poverty line by more than 40 percent of the population is an alarming factor worth noting. Many people are now presenting to psychiatrists probably because of the growing awareness through the good work of media.