Tertiary care: ‘Hundreds frequent mental health institute daily’

LAHORE:

Punjab Institute of Mental Health Deputy Medical Superintendent Ashfaq Ahmad said on Sunday that nearly 600 patients visited the institution everyday.

He said many of those admitted to the institution were professionals. They included doctors, engineers and bureaucrats. Ahmad said nearly one per cent of them came from affluent families. He said people suffering from mental illness across the country visited the institution.

Ahmad said scores of people had not contacted the management after admitting their relatives at the institution. He said the institute was equipped with all sorts of amenities and facilities. Ahmad said the 1,400-bed facility also provided electro-convulsive therapy through psychiatrists.

Ahmad said the institution was facing some problems due to lack of staff as many posts of senior psychiatrists, psychiatrists, medical officers, pharmacists, nurses and technicians had been lying vacant.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2014.