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27th January 2006
Government should send team of psychologists to quake-hit area of AJK
Islamabad: Chairman National Task Force (NTF) Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR) Mr. Riaz Fatyana MNA visited the quake-hit area of Muzafarabad. He was accompanied by Chaudhry Abdul Aziz Education Minister AJK, Ms Noreen Arif Minister of Social Welfare AJK, Mr. Shokat Jan Secretary Social Welfare, Sardar Naseem Ahmed Sheraz Secretary Education, Khawaja Shabbir Ahmed Director General Defense, and Brigadier Mohaddit Rana.
The delegation examined the field’s hospitals at Muzafarabad and Bagh and was briefed by the local people, doctors and field workers. They also met with the patients at CMH Muzafarabad. Minister for Education Abdul Aziz and Minister for Social Welfare Ms. Noreen reviewed the programs for mental health and psychological rehabilitation. It was decided that a regular and comprehensive national health plan will be chalked out for psychological and trauma counseling of the people of Azad Kashmir. Under this program, consultant psychologists will be recruited in the district hospitals.
Chairman National Task Force Mr. Riaz Fatyana MNA said that three days workshop is going to be conducted in Muzafarabad and Bagh to train the teachers as well as paramedical staff to enable them to perform their role in psychological rehabilitation of the quake victims. The National Task Force has constituted a special committee under the chairperson of Minister for Social Welfare Ms. Noreen Arif. The Committee shall comprise of education minister, health minister Mr. Kashif Murtaza and secretaries of these three departments. The committee will organize and supervise the work of trauma counseling in AJK.
Briefing the Chairman NTF Mr. Riaz Fatyana NNA was told that throughout the district of Muzafarabad, there is no any psychological team from the Government of Pakistan on which he expressed his deep concern. In whole district, a volunteer psychiatrist from Pakistan Army and a Malaysian Lady is working in Mental Health Centre.
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