PPS meets PD, SSP to include psychiatry in Sehat Insaf Card
Wasim Sajjad
PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter held on Tuesday with the Project Director, Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP), Dr Riaz Tanoli at his office and the inclusion of psychiatry in Sehat Insaf Card was discussed in detail.
The PPS was represented by its provincial president Dr Imran Khan by accompanying senior psychiatrists, Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees and Prof Dr Bashir Ahmed, whereas the relevant officials of the SSP along with the Project Director were also present in the meeting.
The PPS members showed their concerns regarding Sehat Insaf Card that it didn’t provide services to the poor and underprivileged patients suffering from different mental illnesses, adding that there was extreme shortage of facilities for the people with psychiatric problems in the province and if the government would not support them, their illnesses would get worsen and would lead to their functional disabilities.
They also shared the statistics of common psychiatric diseases in the province with the PD, SSP and stated that drug abuse was a major public health problem now-a-day and it must be addressed on priority basis, otherwise the consequences would be very dangerous. They added that Ice was a new addiction which was easily available everywhere and it had destroyed a large population, especially the youth with its adverse effects.
Dr Riaz Tanoli while talking to the delegation of PPS said that it was the right time for discussion on the need and importance of including mental healthcare in Sehat Insaf Card and he would look into the matter by discussing it with the government to take solid and firm steps in this regard.
He assured the PPS members that he would play his due role for the welfare and interest of mentally ill people, requesting the delegation to work on a full-fledged road map in this regard and share it with him to move ahead for this noble cause.
After the meeting, the PPS provincial chief Dr Imran Khan expressed satisfaction over the response of the SSP Project Director and his team and said that soon he would submit a detailed proposal to SSP in order to address the issue on immediate basis.
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