Government Launches Mental Health App on World Health Day
by Hamna Bano
SHARES
On Friday, PM Shehbaz Sharif announced the launch of the government’s first dedicated mental health helpline and app.
This new development was announced as the world celebrated World Health Day. The Prime Minister announced the launch via Twitter and said, “I am pleased to announce the launch of the government’s first dedicated mental health app Humraaz & helpline. Citizens’ well-being and especially mental health are paramount for our society’s improvement.”
Government launches its first dedicated mental health app and helpline for the citizens.
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.#government #app #TrendingNow #mentalhealth #BreakingNews #mentalillness #HealthwireNews
— Healthwire News (@HealthwireNews) April 11, 2023
The helpline number revealed was 1166 and the need to remove the taboo around mental health was also mentioned.
The application will allow access to citizens to reach the authorities in case of mental health emergencies and suicidal thoughts. It will help the users talk with psychologists and psychiatrists.
The head of the Prime Minister’s strategic reforms Salman Sufi mentioned earlier in February that, “The aim of the initiative is to provide consultation services and to help improve the health and quality of life of people suffering from deteriorating mental health.”
“The WHO and the Ministry of Health are collectively developing it under the PM strategic reforms unit,” Sufi added.
There has also been some work done on introducing proper licensing and certification of psychologists and psychiatrists. The data on the app will also be able to help in getting accurate data rather than just trusting unconfirmed reports.
Pakistan without any doubt is really late to launch a service like this where other countries have already launched a number of apps and helplines catering to mental health. It is time that we normalize conversation on mental health topics and make services feasible for everyone sitting at home.
