PESHAWAR, Oct 10: Expressing concern over indifferent attitude of the society and government towards mentally retarded persons, the Friends of the Mental Hospital on Wednesday asked the government to establish rehabilitation centres for mentally ill patients in all the major cities of NWFP.

Addressing a press conference in connection with the World Mental Health Day here at the Peshawar press club, the office-bearers of the organization asked the government either to shift the premises of the Peshawar mental hospital or to separate its entrance from that of central prison.

Presently, the hospital shares joint entrance with the central prison and access of people to the hospital is not possible without thorough scrutiny and search.

The patron of the organization, Dr Nisar, asked the provincial government to enhance budget for the mental hospital so as to make the availability of essential medicines and other facilities possible. He said: “The ban shall be imposed on so-called faith- healers who have been playing havoc with the health of mentally ill persons and deceiving their relatives.”

The president of the organization, Dr Roohul Amin and general secretary, Ziaur Rehman, said that the a psychiatric institution should be established in the province so as to conduct research on different mental ailments. They added that the mentally ill patients should not be degraded and should be extended proper respect by the members of the society. The office-bearers said: “it is now need of the hour to appoint experienced psychiatrists in all the district headquarters and agency hospitals.”

They informed that the organization was established in 1994. They added that one of their major objectives was to replace the outdated Lunacy Act of 1912 with a much better law, Mental Health Ordinance 2001. The office-bearers said that their achievements were: holding seminars and conferences in different parts of the province; observing mental health day each year; arranging walks on different occasions; arranging musical programmes for mentally ill persons; donation of medicines and clothes for patients; free medical camps at Nowshera, Charssada and Abbotabad; and, provision of medicines to the mental hospital.

About the aims and objectives of the organization, they said that initially the organization was formed to keep an eye on the affairs of the mental hospital, but later on they also started work on reforming the laws pertaining to mental health and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons.