ISLAMABAD:The civil society has demanded all the stakeholders to establish shelter home and facilitation centre for mentally challenged boys and girls in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Talking to reporter here on Monday, Manzoor Mashi, member National Commission of the Human Rights ( NCHR) and activist said that the government’s residential facility for mentally challenged women/girls do not exist.
The purpose of setting up this shelter home was to provide sanctuary to the mentally challenged persons besides providing them latest facilities including free medical, legal, and safe environment to prosper.
He added that shelter home would help mitigating their sufferings and frequent humiliation they have to face. The data of NCHR based on the registration form each province includes the date of registration of each facility, the type of ownership (public/private) the number of beds, the number of full time psychiatrists on staff, the number of clinical psychologists on staff, the number of nurses, average number of patients and the types of disorders treated at the facility, he said. He however, told that the data actually received was far less than what was requested. Most problematic was that in ICT, across 10 facilities that had anywhere from 0 to 45 beds each, none employed a full time psychiatrist.
Manzoor Mashi said, all employed exactly one part time psychiatrist, which seems to contradict the MHO 2001. Under the MHO 2001, conditions for assessment, admission, and discharge of patients requires the recommendation of a psychiatrist.
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provided only the names of mental health facilities and some numbers for beds. Sindh did not submit any data.
He further added that the Balochistan provided all of the infomation requested for one facility, the Balochistan Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Quetta.