National Autism Centre inaugurated in capital

In the first phase, centre will offer diagnostic, treatment facilities

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel on Thursday inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Autism and Mental Health Centre for autistic children at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Addressing the ceremony, the minister said that the government has established this country's first public sector National Autism and Mental Health Centre for children in the federal capital to serve the patients, who were earlier facing a shortage of such services.

In the first phase, the centre will offer diagnostic and treatment facilities at centre's out-patients department (OPD), he said, adding that the patients will also avail free medical advice on various aspects of the disease, including diagnostic and treatment management at the centre.

The minister said that an estimated 0.4 million people in the country are autism patients. The major issue in Pakistan is diagnosing of the disease as there are reports of wrong diagnose of the disease, he said, adding that the issues related to the treatment and availability of facilities are also being faced by patients in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2022.