LAHORE, Oct 19: About 70 posts of doctors have been lying vacant in the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH), the only full-fledged hospital of its kind in the province, for a decade or so.

The vacant posts are more than half of the total sanctioned posts for the 1400-bed hospital. Though successive PIMH administrations brought the matter to the knowledge of the government, but it seems that health of the mentally challenged had never been the priority of those at the helm of affairs.

Of the vacant posts, 20 are of male medical officers, 13 of female medical officers, eight of senior medical officers, seven of additional principal female officers, six of senior medical officers, two each of additional principal medical officers, deputy medical superintendents, clinical psychologists, resident medical officers and one each of chief consultant psychiatrist, neuro physiologist, radiologist, pathologist, anaesthetist, physician, budget officer and account officer.

Besides, 25 posts of paramedical, ministerial and technical staff have also been lying vacant. “Mental illness is not considered a problem in our part of the world as both people and the government share this impression alike. The government’s apathy in this regard can be judged from the above fact,” a senior psychiatrist said.

He said the federal government replaced the Lunacy Act of 1912 with the Mental Health Ordinance in 2001 and made it mandatory for all institutions to provide modern treatment to all patients, but the ordinance was not being implemented in letter and spirit.

PIMH chief executive Dr Nusrat Habib told Dawn that she had requested the health department to fill the vacant posts. Besides, she said, the institute had sought provincial government’s help in the establishment of a multiple auditorium, sports complex (for patients), musafir khana, residential quarters for the under BS-16 staff, rehabilitation centre for drug dependence, child psychiatric unit and upgradation of diagnostic facility (provision of MRI). “We hope the Punjab government will enhance the budget allocation for the institute to make it a state of the art facility.”

Ms Habib said the hospital staff had to deal with the highly disturbed, aggressive and violent patients thus they were vulnerable to all kinds of health hazards, even sometimes their lives were at risk, therefore the government must announce a special allowance for them.

A WHO study says depression would be the second largest killer after cardiac diseases in 2020. At least 75 per cent patients of depression, 65 per cent of schizophrenia and 70 per cent of epileptic here do not get treatment.

It has long been suggested that a psychiatrist should be appointed in all tehsil and district headquarters hospitals to deal with the problem.