Chennai:
Mental illness could be a major cause of concern by 2020
but there has been no effort to increase the syllabus on mental health for
medical professionals, according to former director of medical education Dr V
Kanagasabai.
Paying tributes to nurses during an event held at Madras
Medical Mission to celebrate International Nurses Day here on Saturday, Kanagasabai,
who is also the former dean of Madras Medical College, said that he has
recommended to increase the syllabus on mental helath since there is no subject
at the undergraduate level.
“There is only a small section of syllabus on mental
health since 1980s,” he said.
Interestingly, to World Psychiatry Journal, a study found
out that 75 per cent of people with mental disorders had been sick for more
than one year and had not had any treatment. The journal states that vast chunk
of work in dealing with mental illness is done by primary care practitioners
especially in rural India.
Dr Kanagasabai says that nurses are better equipped as
they have courses on mental health.
He also said that lifespan in India is increasing. He
said the average lifespan has gone up to 67 and it may further rise. But the
biggest challenge is the quality of life.
He also expressed concern over the rise in new form of
diseases like dengue. He said scientists are still struggling to find a
vaccination for malaria while the vaccination for HIV is in the trial stage.
He also highlighted the shortage of nurses in intensive
care unit. Usually, in the intensive care unit there should be atleast four
nurses for one patient. But we have one nurse for one patient, he said.
He also said the nurses role have changed in India. They
play multiple roles, he said.
Earlier, Dr K Jacob, secretary of Madras Medical Mission
while delivering presidential address paid tributes to nurses and said they are
the force for change. “In the modern medical profession, they are the backbone
of healthcare system,” he said.
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