Psychiatrists graduate from IAM Mental Health Programme to deliver specialty mental health services where they are needed most.
This year, for the first time ever, the people of Kandahar and Farah provinces – which have a combined population of over two million – will have access to two psychiatrists, who recently graduated from IAM’s Mental Health Programme in 2020. These psychiatrists will begin providing mental health services in hospitals and other units, which means people with mental health problems in these areas will have access to the help they need.
While IAM’s Mental Health Programme is known for the quality services it delivers, it has also been training doctors as psychiatrists for many years, and so far, has seen 15 psychiatrists go through the programme – doctors that have recently graduated and are now joining the workforce to serve those in remote areas of Afghanistan.
Building capacity at provincial levels
One of IAM’s core values is capacity building, aiming to train Afghans as professionals and skilled cadre for the Afghan people. This strategy has been implemented throughout IAM projects and programmes for many years in areas such as physiotherapy, ophthalmology, and mental health. The mental health programme is a part of that strategy.
Many Afghans suffer from mental health problems, and don’t receive the help they need due to the lack of professional mental health staff and mental health services in rural areas. IAM aims to address this lack of access in sustainable ways, by recruiting young doctors from different provinces into the mental health programme. Once these doctors complete the training, they can return to their home provinces, where they can offer services to the people who need it most.
These two new psychiatrists are serving in new provinces, but last year, one psychiatrist from Badghis province graduated from the same programme, and has since working in a provincial hospital as the only psychiatrist and have delivering mental health services to more than 3,500 people who need it most in there during one year.
By introducing psychiatrists at a provincial level, IAM aims to extend the reach of high quality professional mental health services to people living in remote areas. As more psychiatrists are based in their home provinces throughout the country, more and more people will have access to the services they need. This localization of services will reduce the economic impact and ultimately, the burden of mental health issues for families and individuals.
Through programmes like this, we renew our commitment to providing standard mental health services to the people of Afghanistan – in cities and remote areas alike – and appreciate the support of Ministry of Public Health from our health programmes.