Daily Times

LAHORE: World Mental Health Day would be observed on today (Monday) across Pakistan, in line with rest of the world, to raise public awareness about mental health issues.

However, it seems that mental health is not the priority of the Punjab government, as the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHC&ME) Department is yet to devise a policy to implement Punjab Mental Health (Amendment) Act, 2014 in true letter and spirit.

A well-informed source in the Health Department told Daily Times that the federal government had brought forward a mental health ordinance with an aim to provide treatment and care to mentally disordered persons, to make better provisions for their care, treatment, management of properties and affairs, to encourage community care of mentally disordered persons and to raise public awareness about mental health disorders and its prevention.

After the 18th constitutional amendment, the Punjab government had amended the Mental Health Ordinance of Pakistan, 2001. A bill named Punjab Mental Health (Amendment) Act, 2014 was passed by the provincial assembly and issued a gazette notification on May 29, 2014 in this regard.

According to this act, there should be a Punjab Mental Health Authority, which shall consist of a chairperson but not more than ten members, to be appointed by the government. The members of the authority should work as secretaries to the government, health department, chief consultant psychiatrist and Punjab Institute of Mental Health.

This authority shall advise the government on all matters pertaining to promotion of mental health and prevention against mental disorders, and establishment of new national standards for care and treatment of patients. The authority shall also recommend measures to improve existing mental health services, besides setting up child, psycho-geriatric, forensic, learning disability and community-based services, and prescribing procedures with respect to setting up and functioning of the mental health services and facilities.

Sources said that the authority is also authorised to prescribe a code of practice to be implemented for achieving the purposes and objects of the act as well as to be followed by all the mental health personnel involved with the care of patients under the act. The authority shall register psychiatrists for the purposes of this act in such a manner as may be prescribed, and regulate the setting up of help lines and crisis centres for general public with regard to mental health.

A board of visitors should be constituted to ensure that the provisions of this act for assessment and treatment are being properly carried out, whether or not requested by any individual, patient or his relative.

However, sources deplored that the government has failed to establish Punjab Mental Health Authority despite the lapse of two years. If the rules and authority yet to be notified, one can imagine the time it would take for the implementation, sources concluded.