KARACHI: Need stressed to focus on mental trauma in quake-hit areas
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 25: Sharing the experiences gained during rescue and relief works in earthquake affected areas, health professionals at a seminar on Wednesday stressed the need to focus more on psychologically traumatized patients in the quake-hit areas. The doctors, most of whom were included in the psychiatric teams dispatched to the quake-hit areas by the Aga Khan University, discussed the psychological aspects of trauma in the earthquake survivors. The seminar was attended mostly by nursing staff and senior students of the university.
A couple of speakers expressed the view that pre-disaster scenario pertaining to health facilities and awareness did not exist soundly in the areas, and as such now there was need to make efforts not only to improve the overall healthcare services in the area but to develop and implement some special modules to handle the psychological trauma cases, number of which was likely to increase considerably in the later course of time.
It was noted that most of the aid groups and medical missions were enthusiastic to serve humanity in distress after earthquake but lacked the required expertise or capacity to fully handle cases turning up to the field health centres set up by the government and NGOs and major hospitals.
The seminar was organized by the Mental Health Research and Development Forum at the Aga Khan University Hospital. Dr Badar Sabir Ali, chairperson of the Forum, conducted the discussion for the psychiatrists’ teams aimed at planning for the future efforts.
In his introductory remarks, Mental Health Association President Dr S. Haroon Ahmad maintained that the earthquake victims appeared calm, brave and sturdy initially but when the focus shifted to rehabilitation, the stress for somatic symptoms among survivors began to take place.
He said that addressing the psychological trauma was as important as surgical intervention in a broken bone to save the patient from disability.
Programme Coordinator of Health Promotion Resource Centre, AKHS, Ms Laila Khalfan said that patients attending their clinics in the affected areas had a common pattern of psychosomatic complains such as body pains, headache, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, depression, aggressive behaviour and flashbacks.
She said that AKHS, Pakistan, had evolved a five-level strategy to address the emergency needs. The measures taken by her teams, which she described as milestones, included provision of immediate rescue work, which was followed by the establishment of centres in the affected areas, programme modelling, training and capacity building of health care providers and monitoring and follow-up of the training programmes.
Talking about training of volunteers and interaction with the survivors, Dr Riffat Moazam Zaman and Dr Rubina Kidwai of the AKU said that time, distance to destinations, size of a group and its composition, supply of material to people in trauma areas, changing needs of survivors and assumptions of the trainees with respect to gender, expected anger, cultural aspects and segregation of man and woman patients were the aspects that remained sources of concerns during rescue and restoration activities.
Dr Rubina, a consultant psychologist, said that the masters going to train people in trauma areas should also do some homework and try to be open and flexible. They could have modules ready for a purpose but should choose some of them only in line with the prevailing post disaster situation, she added, saying that we should determine the needs before going for any programme.
Associate Professor at Community Health Services, AKU, Kausar S. Khan said that the assessment undertaken in December 2005 by her group gave to understand that the survivors were concerned about physical works, hygiene and amenities situation, welfare and security of women, which remained a complex issue particularly when the women folk was unable to express their needs and get access to compensation amount.
She said that the assessment focused on five issues, including general needs of women, reproductive health needs, fears, coping mechanisms and barriers to resources.
AKU’s Psychiatry Department Chairman Dr Murad Moosa Khan and Assistant Professor Dr Naim Siddiqui also presented the findings of their study of the psychological impact of earthquake tragedy.
