Punjab Governor and Chancellor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Tuesday inaugurated the Punjab Mental Health Helpline which would provide online counselling to people suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental health issues across Pakistan due to coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown.
The Helpline (0304-1110063) is established by the Government College University Lahore under the auspices of its Psychology Department.
Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi briefed the governor on the working of the helpline at a graceful ceremony in the GCU’s Syndicate Committee Room.
Speaking on the occasion, the governor proudly said that GCU had set up Punjab’s first tele-counselling centre which was a milestone addition to their already existed 30 other telemedicine centres. He said that he had established first telemedicine helpline on March 19, 2020, and to-date more than 80,000 people had benefitted from these telemedicine helplines. He said merit appointments were the key to progress; he had appointed all vice chancellors on merit and now in these crucial times, universities with their competent vice chancellors were playing an effective role in fighting coronavirus outbreak.
He appreciated that GCU had been at the forefront of the fight against the Coronavirus; it established a quarantine centre for 364 people and 200 bed hospital at its Kala Shah Kaku Campus besides providing 25,000 liters disinfectant and 500 liters hand sanitizers to hospitals across Punjab.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Asghar Zaidi said that coronavirus affects not just the physical health but also mental health; doctors and paramedics are playing a most significant part and now expert clinical psychologists start offering their services to counter mental health issues. He said that the Mental Health Helpline would be a great service by GCU to their nation in helping them deal with mental stress, negative thinking, future uncertainty, depression, etc. The Vice Chancellor said that their qualified clinical psychologists are providing counselling services to relieve the effects of stress and anxiety, management of isolation anxiety, building resilience, coping with activity restriction, dealing with Hypochondria and Cyber-chondria and supportive psychotherapy for dealing with illness anxiety and fear.
Earlier, psychologists while receiving calls advised people in such times of uncertainty, avoid speculations about the pandemic on social media, keep yourself busy with activities, write e-letters to your family and friends, engage yourself with books, watch movies – and above all try to help others which, he believed, was the best way to counter hopelessness, anxiety, depression or fear. The governor expressed gratitude to the Vice Chancellor and staff for their most timely contribution.
Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has inaugurated Pakistan’s first ‘Mental Health Telemedicine Helpline’ for the people who are under psychological stress due to coronavirus crisis, and ‘Corona Telemedicine Helpline Centre’ at Lahore General Hospital (LGH).
Waleed Dogar from the business community also handed over ration packages for 1,000 poor and deserving families to the Punjab Governor. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar called upon the political and religious parties to set aside their mutual differences and get united to fight out corona pandemic. He also warned the medical stores to refrain from minting money from the people otherwise their pharmacy licenses will be confiscated and they will be taken to task, asserting that nobody will be allowed to loot the poor people. Governor House has so far collected Rs 3 billion donations in terms of financial aid and ration for corona-hit poor families. Provision of ration to the deserving families at their door step is being ensured. He was talking to media persons at Governor House Lahore on Tuesday.
On this occasion, Waleed Dogar from business community of Faisalabad handed over ration packages as donation for 1,000 poor families. He also inaugurated Corona Telemedicine Helpline Centre at Lahore General Hospital (LGH) through video link. On this occasion, Jinnah Hospital Principal Prof. Alfareed Zaffar briefed the Governor about the measures to control corona. Talking to media, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said, “I want to say the government and opposition that coronavirus is getting hazardous with each passing day, and this is not the time to do politics or altercation but to get united therefore all of them must play their due role in protecting 220 million Pakistanis from the curse of corona.” He added, “We have the information that medical stores are now resorting to loot the people by tooth and nail even in this time of distress. I warn them all to refrain from such practices otherwise government will take strict action against them and no one will be spared,” he said.
