HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Shah has announced that his government would establish a state-of-the-art mental health university -- Asia’s first — at the historic 150-year-old Sir Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences in Hyderabad. He promised to bring a qualitative change in the institute’s growth within the next 18 months which, he said, had never been seen in the last 150 years.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of an outpatient department (OPD) and a female ward at the institute here on Saturday.

He pointed out that Sindh government was running Asia’s biggest autism school in Karachi, and asked the provincial Minister for Universities & Boards, Ismail Rahu, to make sure that the university was established. “We will make sure this university is not only announced, but established in a shortest possible time,” he said.

The CM paid tribute to the institute’s team comprising doctors, psychiatrists, paramedics and other staff members for catering to the mental health requirements of patients.

CM promises qualitative change in services at 150-year-old Sir Cowasjee institute within 18 months

He promised that this institute would cater to the healthcare needs of the entire world to surpass its record of healthcare services that it used to provide to the people of undivided India before Partition.

Mr Shah said chairman of the Sindh Mental Health Authority Dr Karim Khawaja and hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Syed Amir Dabeer had brought to his notice various issues and challenges confronting this institute. He admitted his slackness in responding to the issues despite being its patron, and said that a meeting of its board of governors would be held this month.

He said Dr Dabeer had apprised him of the issues including human resource and nonexistent occupational therapists, clinical psychologists etc, besides problems of miscellaneous nature. The CM pledged that these issues would be addressed.

He recalled that his father and then CM Syed Abdullah Shah had visited this institute in 1994 and he [Murad Ali Shah] was now emulating him.

He said that all vacant posts would be filled as the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPC) was being reconstituted. “My government still has 10 months to go, and people will witness a qualitative change in the institute’s s performance now,” he said.

Incentives and facilities sought

Dr Dabeeer also recommended hardship allowance for those paramedics who treat aggressive clients (patients) and said that the hospital needed express feeder for power supply as around 400 patients were staying here permanently.

He said that power loadshedding incurred unnecessary expenditures of oil for generators, adding that the hospital needed a state-of-the-art rehabilitation ward, radiology and diagnostic laboratories, besides ambulances with modern equipment.

Dr Karim Khawaja paid tributes to Dr Hyder G. Kazi’s for his valuable services to the institute. He said that it was a 150-year-old institute with a rich history, and informed the audience that people from the entire India before Partition used to get treatment here.

Encroachers

CM Shah asked Hyderabad’s administration, especially Deputy Commissioner Fuad Soomro, to jot down notes and submit them to him. He asked the Hyderabad Commissioner and DIG to ensure that all illegal occupants or encroachers of 27.3 acres were evicted from the land and such report should be submitted to him.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2022