Emotional scars: Physiological trauma centre starts working at KEMU

Training of police, Rescue 1122 starts at centre.

LAHORE: A psychological trauma centre has been set up at King Edward Medical University (KEMU), Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said on Friday.

He was presiding over a meeting of the provincial steering committee for psycho-social trauma at Civil Secretariat.

“The centres will help resolve psychiatric issues of the people affected by natural disasters, calamities and terrorism,” he said.

He said that psychiatrists would also train police, Rescue 1122, teachers, doctors and nurses. “They will also prepare training modules for media people so that awareness can be created among masses on important issues,” he said.

KEMU Psychiatry Department Head Prof Aftab Asif informed the meeting that the new centre had started its training programme. “Training for police and Rescue 1122 officers will start from January 17. They will be trained in how to take care of people affected by any disaster or terrorism,” he said.

Asif said that the officers would solve the psychological issues facing the people. “In developed countries, the media usually have a responsible behaviour towards coverage of terrorism incidents. They themselves decide which programme or piece of news should be seen by children,” he said. He urged Pakistani media to adopt a similar policy about the coverage of terrorism. “This will save the children from the psychological trauma,” he said. He said that the psycho-trauma centre could prepare training modules for media people.

Rafique said that two more centres would be established in Multan and Rawalpindi. “The services of psychiatrists from medical colleges and other educational institutions from the two cities will be acquired in this regard,” he said.

Additional Chief Secretary Syed Mubashar Raza directed the Health Department to prepare training modules with the help of KEMU experts and submit them at the next meeting.

Rafiq said that the next meeting of provincial steering committee would be held after a fortnight.

The higher education secretary, the school education secretary, the additional home secretary, the Rescue 1122 director general, the social welfare director general, the health services (technical) additional secretary, the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) director general, Associate Prof Dr Ali Mehdi Hashmi, Postgraduate Medical Institute Psychiatry Department head Prof Aftab Qadir and experts from Allama Iqbal Medical College attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2015.