Mind matters: Experts discuss lack of laws protecting mentally ill people

The devolution of the health ministry has left these people vulnerable.

KARACHI: Concerned by the plight of mentally ill people in Pakistan, experts and human rights activists gathered at a consultative meeting organised by the Pakistan Association of Mental Health (PAMH) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday to discuss the matter.

The president of the PAMH, Prof. Haroon Ahmed, said that since the devolution of the health ministry under the 18th Amendment, there has been a scarcity of laws pertaining to mental health issues. Pakistan inherited the Lunacy Act of 1912 from the British, which was eventually replaced in 2001 by the Mental Health Ordinance (MHO). This ‘more humane’ piece of legislation borrowed heavily from the Indian Mental Health Act, said a consultant clinical psychologist, Dr Rubeena Kidwai. “The MHO highlighted patients’ rights in a multitude of areas. These include care in the community, emphasis on informed consent, confidentiality and protection of property as well as other assets.” However, the MHO became a casualty of the 18th Amendment and a new bill needs to be drafted, she added.

“Last year there were quite a few cases in which people were accused of blasphemy. But they should not be persecuted as they may have been suffering from mental diseases,” said a member of the HRCP, Husain Naqi. He said that his organisation is concerned that the number of mentally ill patients may be in the millions and need to be protected. He also said that a law to alleviate the suffering of these people should be promulgated by the end of January 2012.

According to the World Health Organisation, one person out of every five people is afflicted by some form of mental illness. Justice (retd.) Dr Ghous Mohammed expressed concern over the fact that “the current bill on mental illness may be slightly outdated.”

Other concerns raised were on the cost of maintenance of psychiatric wards at both public and private hospitals. The head of the psychiatry department at Jinnah Post Medical Centre, Prof. Iqbal Afridi, said that College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan should develop and offer more clinical psychology and psychiatry programmes.

Dr Muhammad Tariq of the Sarhad Hospital of Psychiatric Diseases pointed out to the lack of proper mechanisms to provide support to patients who do not suffer from chronic mental diseases such as depression or obsessive compulsive disorders.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2011.