LARKANA: Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) will establish a council to provide psychological help to students, faculty and employees should they happen to be in need of such counseling, says the university’s vice chancellor Prof Dr Anilla Attaur Rehman.

She said at a seminar on Mental health for all and prevention of suicide on the campus on Saturday that the university would hold four similar seminars each year so as to keep the faculty, students and employees abreast of the latest developments in the field of mental health. All students were free to send message to her if they encountered any problems, she said.

Without referring to the incident of mysterious death of Nosheen Shah at her hostel room in Chandka Medical College, she said that despite knowing all about the mishap people were making improper insinuations about her death.

She said that a retired professor of psychiatry, Dr Badar Juenjo, would voluntarily head the council and he would be assisted by two other experts, a male and a female, to be nominated later. The council would be a healthy start of the New Year at the seat of highest learning, she said

She said the members of the council would immediately contact the complainant and provide him or her help. Sometimes, even people with strong nerves fell victim to mental illnesses but if they had some sincere soul around who listened to them, kept their secrets and gave them good advice, they could be saved, she said.

Prof Safiullah Afghan, a guest speaker from United Kingdom, said the world claimed to have become a global village but unfortunately the individual was increasingly becoming isolated. Those who attempted suicide should be taken to a psychiatrist instead of jail under the law enacted in 2015. “We have shortage of psychologists. There is only one doctor for 50,000 people,” he said.

He said that a code of conduct for media reporting on suicide had been developed but unfortunately it had not been implemented yet.

Motivational speaker Malik Khaskheli said that if people used their brains in a positive way it would then also reflect positively on society.

SMBBMU registrar Dr Qararo Shah said that many major diseases were caused by disturbances faced by brain and it was the mind that made man superior to all creatures. “A healthy mind builds a healthy society,” he said.

Prof Ibrahim Siddiqui, Prof Saeed Ahmed Sheikh, CMC Principal Prof Gulzar Ahmed Sheikh, Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur’s principal Prof Zulfiqar Soomro, Dental College principal Prof Yusuf Shah and a large number of students, postgraduate doctors, faculty members and people from different walks of life attended the programme.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2022