LAHORE, September 4: A modern counselling hall equipped with the latest facilities has been established at the Psychiatry Department of Lahore General Hospital (LGH), with Principal Ameer-ud-Din Medical College and Postgraduate Medical Institute Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal formally inaugurating the facility on Friday.
The counselling hall has been named after renowned psychiatrist Prof. Altaf Qadir.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal said complete patient recovery cannot be achieved through medicines and medical examinations alone, stressing that psychological and functional rehabilitation are equally important.
He said mental health treatment should not depend solely on medication and emphasised the need to restore patients’ social and mental abilities through group therapy and occupational therapy. According to him, these approaches are essential to help patients become useful and active members of society.
The principal said the newly established counselling hall would provide a dedicated and modern facility for group therapy and occupational therapy, helping accelerate the rehabilitation process for patients.
HoD Psychiatry Prof. Faiza Athar said the Prof. Altaf Qadir Counselling Hall would provide patients visiting LGH with modern counselling and therapy facilities.
She said the facility would support not only the individual recovery of patients but could also contribute to positive changes in mental health awareness at the broader societal level.
Medical experts at the ceremony said the modern counselling hall would enable patients to receive improved treatment while also helping raise awareness about mental health issues in society. They said greater awareness could contribute to further positive changes in the future.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by HoD Prof. Faiza Athar, Prof. Altaf Qadir, Prof. Faheem, Dr. Maheen Rizwan, Dr. Rafia Bukhari, Dr. Asma Gul, Ms. Alia Sadaf and a large number of health professionals.