Arif Alvi to establish helpline for special patients

ISLAMABAD: Arif Alvi has stated that the Ministry of National Health Services may establish a committee, Regulations and Coordination on mental health, with members from public and private stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan to provide Mental Health counselling and services to people with mental health issues or disorders.

At Aiwan-e-Sadr, Arif Alvi shared these thoughts while chairing a meeting on mental health.

President of Pakistan Arif Alvi, speaking at the meeting, remarked that Pakistan had little resources to deal with the mental health burden, as an estimated 80% of persons with Mental Health requirements remain untreated. 
He stated that there was an urgent need to increase the number of psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors in order to provide mental health care to the target population, particularly the underprivileged in underserved areas of the nation. 

He added that promoting good mental health and curing mental health concerns of the Pakistani population at an early stage would boost our nation's productivity.

Arif Alvi emphasized the need to develop and create mental health providers, particularly at the primary level, for early diagnoses and treatment to arrest the illness in its early stages, which most of the time requires active listening and counselling, and to prevent it from progressing to a later, more expensive stage.

To build a critical mass of mental health caregivers as quickly as possible, he stated that all available training resources within the commercial and public sectors of the country, as well as online training facilities available worldwide, should be completely utilized.

The President stated that web-based technologies, such as chatbots and other IT-based services, may also be fully integrated into the system to serve as the first line of defence for those with mental health problems. 

In addition, he stated that 45 to 50 per cent of those with mental health difficulties might be handled with rapid services.

The President stated that all existing mental health helpline services must be integrated into a national mental health system to deliver excellent, authentic, and reliable treatment to individuals with mental health difficulties. 

He noted that when developing a mental health helpline, the elements of trust, secrecy, authenticity, and credibility of the services must be considered.

The President added that there was a need to build synergy among the stakeholders and to determine the mental health burden, take stock of all the online and web-based resources, total human resources available, and how enhance human resources according to the requirements of the people. 
He stated that the World Health Organization and other international health organizations could provide technical knowledge and professional assistance. 

He urged all stakeholders to adhere to a strict timeframe for finalizing their recommendations, forming committees, and identifying and integrating stakeholders into the system.

The President stated that initiatives might be done to incorporate child abuse, drug use, and behavioural and mental problems in the broader system of Mental Health by keeping ethical standards and protocols and maintaining high quality.