Because Mental Health matters…
Belonging to a third world country like Pakistan and pursuing training in Ireland was one hell of an experience. I always wanted to be the kind of doctor having a ‘healer’ touch and make a difference. The human mind intrigued me and I was curious to know more about it. Therefore, I decided to become a psychiatrist as this was the only medical specialty which gave me the opportunity to help improve individuals’ lives as well as play a role in the overall uplift of the health in the society.
I became a psychiatrist years ago after a strenuous training in a tertiary care facility in Karachi, Pakistan. I was selected for a scholarship in the Republic of Ireland where I moved around mid 2015. Working with HSE Ireland for 2 years made me realize the disparities in the health system of my country. I knew the professionals in my country were skilled in the field, but there was an overall lack of structure and systematic approach.
This observation sparked my interest in Public health. I wanted to look at health system at a grassroot level to identify problems and to become a part of the solution. In the pursuit of a Public Health degree, I started looking for scholarships worldwide and stumbled on Commonwealth scholarships. I successfully submitted applications in a few renowned universities and was over joyed to get the scholarship and start off my journey in public health. After starting the degree, I realized that Public health isn’t just about clean water and hygiene. I now want to look at the holistic picture in which I am able to look at communicable as well as non-communicable illnesses in our sociocultural settings.
I want to combine the knowledge of the two of the fields i.e., mental health and Public Health and be able to play my part in helping my Government make policies in preventing mental illnesses and promote mental wellbeing. I envision myself as someone who would want to get involved in mental health policy making in future. Having relevant knowledge of Public health seemed to me to be the key.
I also wanted to acquire the necessary skills required in the field of mental health research as current era is that of evidence informed research. It is a neglected field in Pakistan owing to the stigma associated with it as well as the lack of resources. I really wanted to be able to advance in the field of mental health research as that was something, I would always find difficult. This might be owing to the fact that I never got exposed to Public health formally in my undergraduate curriculum. Studying Public health would serve as a basis for more understanding and implementation, thus improving the health system in general and mental health in particular.
As Public health expert I would want to get involved in health education programs, destigmatizing mental health, providing access to mental health care at grassroot level. I would want to know the burden of disease and how to cope up with it by using the available resources and developing a self-sustaining model.
I hope to get skilled in the area of Public health and research and to be able to utilize my talent in the overall uplift of the healthcare system in my country. It feels like a gigantic task and I hope to not appear as an over enthusiast and a wishful thinker but I would definitely try to play a role through my learning. I believe that there is no health without mental health and its high time that to actually ‘do’ something to make a difference.
