Course of psychiatric, mental health nursing ends

Rawalpindi : The first ever Certificate Course of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing launched by Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) in collaboration with WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Training concluded here at the institute.

The RMU organised the three weeks training in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and Agha Khan University to overcome problem of shortage nurses serving in the field of psychiatry in Pakistan, a country that has only 300 qualified psychiatric nurses to serve in public sector healthcare facilities.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the three weeks training held at the WHO collaborating centre at the Institute, Co-Chairman, Board of Advanced Studies & Research at RMU and Director at WHO Collaborating Center Professor Fareed Aslam Minhas shed light on the importance of nursing staff in provision of treatment.

He said the two important areas including general physicians and the nursing staff are deficient in mental health training for which efforts like this diploma will further help fulfil this inadequacy. He thanked RMU Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Umar for his continuous support and the delegate from Agha Khan University for their worthy collaboration.

The program is intensified to a degree that the trained nurses would in turn be able to train other nurses at their respective institutions. The trained nurses should work at the Institute of Psychiatry with close collaboration with occupational therapy and doctors to gain adequate exposure and training, he said.

Head Institute of Psychiatry Dr. Asad Tamizuddin Nizami congratulated the participants and thanked Professor Minhas for his ongoing guidance, support and this initiative. He emphasized on the importance of team work of nursing staff, social workers and doctors to improve quality of services in the field of psychiatry in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Umar acknowledged the role of the Institute of Psychiatry and credited the faculty in continuation of the legacy for provision of mental health. He envisions RMU in producing scholars which would ultimately assist in up gradation of status of society with the ultimate goal of betterment in civilization.

He emphasized on the fact that no health institution can survive without nurses as they have a pivotal role in provision of health facilities in any hospital.

Certificates were distributed among 15 nurses of RMU who have completed three weeks training. Out of these, top six nurses will go to the Agha Khan University for further training of three weeks.