Punjab Government has decided to establish Psycho Trauma Centers in province for the treatment, rehabilitation and resolving the issues of mental and psychiatric traumas of the victims of natural disasters, accidents and terrorists activities.
This was announced in a meeting chaired by Coordinator of Prime Minister National Psycho Social Advisory Council Marvi Memon (MNA) in the Health Department at Civil Secretariat, here today. Additional Chief Secretary Syed Mubashar Raza, Secretary Health Jawad Rafique Malik, Secretary Information & Culture Momin Agha, Secretary Higher Education Abdullah Sumbal, Secretary Schools Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, Special Secretary Home Dr. Shoaib Akbar and Health professionals, Psychiatrists from King Edward Medical University and others medical colleges including Professor Aftab Asif, Dr. Rabia Farhan, Dr. Shahid Hashmi, Rimsha Rafique, Dr. Ali Hashmi, Dr. Aftab Qadir Khan, Dr. Nazish Imran, Dr. Farasat Ali Dogar were attended the meeting.
While addressing the meeting, Marvi Memon revealed that after the worst terrorist activity in Army Public School Peshawar on 16th December, the need was felt at national level to establish such institutions for the rehabilitation of victims of such incidents and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif immediately ordered to establish National Psycho Social Advisory Council. She said that the children, parents and other affectees of these unfortunate incidents go through mental and psycho trauma and its affects remain for a long time in their lives. She said that for retrieving the affectees from mental and psychological shocks and to solve their psycho and social problems the establishment of Psycho Trauma Center at provincial level is a need of the hour. It was decided that Provincial Psycho Social Advisory Committee be established immediately. Marvi Memon told that three senior experts from each province have been included in the National Advisory Council. The meeting decided to take on board the Health Department, Information, Home, PDMA, Medical Colleges, Universities, Higher Education, School Education and other institutions for preparing guidelines, social mobilization, awareness campaign and other activities so that a comprehensive and consolidated way forward be prepared for implementing the action plan. It was also decided that Provincial Mental Health Act 2001 should be reviewed further for legislation. Additional Chief Secretary Mubashar Raza and Secretary Health assured on behalf of Punjab government for extending all-out cooperation for establishing Psycho Trauma Centers in Punjab.
