Islamabad News

Training workshop for psychiatrists begins Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Shahina Maqbool Islamabad A week-long training of trainers programme in mental health got underway at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here on Monday, with an internationally acclaimed professional from the Institute of Psychiatry, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK, imparting training. The visiting trainer is Professor Rachel Jenkins, director of the WHO collaborating centre in the UK and professor of international epidemiology and international mental health policy at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London. Professor Jenkins has years of experience working in countries like Russia and Egypt. Speaking at the inaugural session, PIMS Executive Director Dr. Majeed Rajput emphasised the importance of mental health in the backdrop of rising incidents of terrorism and growing economic pressures on the population. “It is the duty of institutions like PIMS to contribute to the development of mental health services for the country,” he said, hoping that a mental health model would be implemented in Islamabad Capital Territory for subsequent replication in other districts of Pakistan. Professor Rizwan Taj, head of the Department of Psychiatry at PIMS and the Ministry of Health’s focal person on mental health, referred to the acute shortage of properly trained mental health professionals for the size of the country’s population. The workshop is attended by 38 senior psychiatrists from all over Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir. The interactive workshop focuses on integration of the concept of mental health into primary healthcare in Pakistan for assessment and management of common disorders. It particularly looks at the achievement of health targets; emphasises the acquisition of core psychosocial skills; and is guided by WHO good practice guidelines. Dr. Altaf, the joint executive director of PIMS, said up to 20% of the population suffers from mental illnesses at a given time, with patients and their families suffering for weeks on end. The workshop will conclude on Friday.