The Department of Clinical Psychology UMT and AIDS Clinic Jinnah organized a seminar on AIDS. This was a highly informative and useful seminar on an avoidable illness that is spreading very fast in the developing countries including Pakistan. There are already nearly 100,000 known cases of AIDS in Pakistan and they are increasing at an alarming rate (in certain areas around 11% every year), a majority of the patients are under 25. The virus is not a quick killer anymore but it still is as debilitating as ever. In 1980 the life expectancy of AIDS patients was 11 months, now it is 20 years; affecting, directly or indirectly, hundreds and thousands of members of the community.
As in any other chronic illness, Clinical Psychology plays a very important role in the management and prevention of AIDS. The Clinical Psychology Department called two experts with years of experience in the field to educate us on AIDS. They addressed questions like: What is AIDS? How does it spread? What does it do to us? What is the course of this killer and debilitating disease? How can it be prevented? What can we do to protect ourselves? If left alone, how does AIDS affect our family, friends and the community? What role can Clinical Psychology play in helping the victims and the helpers?
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Dr Zahid Mahmood, Chairman, Department of Clinical Psychology, UMT, presented the view that Clinical Psychology should focus on serving the community as well as psychiatric institutions and out patients. Indeed The Dept has already taken bold steps to venture in to school psychology, sports psychology, and student counselling and so on. This seminar is a step in the same direction. AIDS patients need psychological help and counseling in order to manage their illness, learn to comply with the treatment regime, to ensure protection and prevention of of this blight.
Dr Hunain Riaz, FCPS, Consultant HIV Clinic, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, presented facts about AIDS and updated the audience on the course of illness, its management and treatment. Tahira Hafeez spoke on prevention and the need for counseling for the AIDS victims.
The seminar was attended by nearly 100 people from UMT as well from four different universities, a hospital and NGO.
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