Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah launched counselling & psycho-social support service during Covid-19 emergency which could be reached on helpline 1093, web page COVIDPSS.PK and community-based psycho-social support mobile app on android and IOS.

He performed launching ceremony by dialling 109 and inquired about the services available on the helpline. The local government department has launched the service with the support of health department, UNICEF & UNDP.

The launching ceremony was attended by Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Minister Local Government Saeed Ghani, Advisor law Murtaza Wahab, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh and others.

Minister Local Government & Information Syed Nasir Shah briefing the chief minister about the features of Counselling and Psycho-social Support Service for the people of the province who are under trauma and depression due to the current corona virus crisis, said the target groups would be Coronavirus patients under isolation, people under quarantine and people who get depression and other psychological issues during lockdown.

Nasir Shah said that 100,000 affected children, women and men mainly through online platform would be counselled.

The local government has 25 psychologists/psychiatrists and around 50 to 70 volunteer counsellors which include doctors, professors, motivators, trainers, celebrities from every walk of life.

The Local government minister Syed Nasir Shah told the chief minister that online platform includes website and android application for awareness. For referral mechanism linkages with other services providers have been made.

The chief minister said that the Counselling & Psycho-social support service was most important during the COVID-19 emergency. "This situation has left adverse effects on human psyche, therefore counselling by experts would be of great help," he said.

The chief minister thanked the UNICEF & UNDP for their support and cooperation. "We can steer the nation out of this COVID-19 quagmire by joining hands with each other," he said.