HYDERABAD: A multi-stakeholder partnership between various government agencies and non-government organizations on Saturday joined hands to curb the disturbing trend of increasing suicides in Tharparkar by providing proactive counselling/treatment services to identified patients.
In this connection, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here on Saturday between Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA), Thar Foundation, Health Department of Govt of Sindh, Sir Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences Hyderabad (SCIPBS) and Liaqat University of Medical & Health Licenses (LUMHS).
The partnership is aimed at providing free of cost psychiatric/counselling/treatment services, follow up, free medicines to identified patients under a one-year pilot project.
According to the partnership, Thar Foundation will contribute by setting up remote counselling tele-health services in local language, a mobile app for monitoring and reporting of vulnerable cases and other logistical support to SMHA and other contributing agencies.
The MoU says that SMHA will act as coordinating and lynchpin partner in the achievement of the aims of the project and establish Thar tele health services connecting talukas of Thar with Mithi as hub supported by SCIPBS which will provide technical support, expertise from counselling to evaluation and management of the vulnerable cases, training of counselling and predisposing mental health illness management to service providers an institutional care to the chronic and needy cases.
According to the MoU, the District Administration will also play a major role to provide support and help in baseline data collection and emergency rescue support, where and whenever needed. Health Department will provide its infrastructure and community health workforce for training and counselling services and provision of medicines and supplies to the vulnerable patients.
Speaking on the occasion, SMHA Chairman, Senator Dr Karim Khwaja said, Tharparkar is considered as one of the districts of Sindh where cases of suicides is at rise due to variety of psychosocial and socioeconomic reasons.
MNA Dr. Mahesh Malani lauded efforts of all partnering agencies to addressing the issue of suicides in Tharparkar and coming up with an urgent and doable solution. He said the major reason behind 80 percent of the suicide cases in Thar is psychosocial and not poverty or unemployment.
Naseer Memon, General Manager of Thar Foundation was of the view that increasing trend of suicides in the district warranted an urgent attention to initiate a mechanism to identify cases and counsel them with modern approach.
Muhammad Nawaz Soho, Deputy Commissioner Tharparkar was of the view that 66 cases have been recorded in first half of the year, out of which 40 belong to Non-Muslim communities. He said, district administration will provide all possible support to project and the communities of Tharparkar to identify vulnerable patients for treating them on professional grounds.
Dr. Aijaz Qadir Patoli, Medical Superintend of SCIPBS, Vice Chancellor of LUMHS, Dr Bikha Ram, Dr. Sono Mal Khangarani, Chief Executive Officer, also spoke on the occasion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020