KARACHI: The Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA) on Tuesday conducted a specialised training workshop at Taluka Headquarters Hospital Kandiaro, Naushahro Feroze district, to train healthcare providers in combating rising suicide cases.

Over 70 professionals, including representatives from the health department, the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) and women health supervisors attended the session held at the taluka hospital.

During the session, Prof Chooni Lal, head of the psychiatry department, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, delivered a technical presentation on the early detection of mental health disorders and modern management techniques.

In his remarks, SMHA chairman Senator Dr Karim Khawaja emphasised that the authority’s mission was to integrate mental health into the broader healthcare landscape.

“Our goal is to empower health professionals so they can act as educators within their communities,” Dr Khawaja stated. “By strengthening local capacity, we ensure that mental health becomes a primary component of community healthcare.”

SMHA secretary Dr Syed Zafar Mehdi stated that the session focused on three key areas: addressing the rise in suicide cases through early-stage identification, equipping frontline staff with clinical tools to manage psychiatric conditions and exploring referral pathways to establish a robust system to ensure patients were timely directed to specialists.

He pointed out that the session was convened following a request from the deputy commissioner in response to a concerning rise in suicide cases within the taluka.

“This initiative followed the SMHA’s successful province-wide campaign to provide mental health education to general practitioners across all 30 districts of Sindh, marking the second such intervention in Naushahro Feroze,” he said.

The attendees included Naushahro Feroze Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Arslan Saleem, Mehrabpur Assistant Commissioner Raza Shar, Kandiaro Assistant Commissioner Noorul Hooda, Kandiaro DSP Dr Javed Lakhair, researcher Ali Murad Talpur and Dr Rafique Ahmed Mangrio, medical superintendent, Taluka Headquarters Hospital Kandiaro.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2026