BAHAWALPUR, Jan 16: A two-day 14th National psychiatric conference will be held under the auspices of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society at the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, on Jan 20 and 21.

This was disclosed by organizing committee chairman and head of the department Dr Niaz Maqsood at a conference arranged here on Wednesday.

The chairman said about 136 delegations, including one each from New Zealand and Canada, would participate in the conference on Fight against stigma and stop discrimination.

Elaborating the theme, he said emphasis would be laid on human rights’ violation of mentally deranged people besides other issues. The object of the conference was to highlight the psychiatric problems people were at war with and to devise ways and means of their remedy, he added.

He said it would be a great opportunity for the participants to have a new insight into the challenges being faced in the field of psychiatry and to share current research and development with renowned fellows.

According to the schedule, there would be three sessions. The Punjab Health Minister, Prof Dr Mahmood Ahmad Chaudhry will inaugurate the opening session while the Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development, Shaheen Attiqur Rahman, will preside over the concluding session on Jan 21.

Some eight experts, including Prof Khalida Tareen and Dr Ijaz Haider of Lahore would read papers, the chairman concluded.