Staff Reporter
Pakistan Speech and Language Pathologist Association (PSLPA) has been launched to help raise awareness on speech, hearing and communication disorders and to help treat and rehabilitate individuals suffering from such disorders.
Provision of timely treatment can help make individuals suffering from such disabilities productive citizens of state, the experts said in a press release issued here on Sunday.
Federal Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services, Dr. Nausheen Hamid while addressing the launching ceremony of PSLPA said Pakistan Tehreek-e–Insaf’s (PTI) government had already embarked upon Sehat Sahulat Programme where persons with all kind of disabilities and their families were given health cards on priority.
“The government is committed to provide quality and affordable health services to the citizens of Pakistan and improve the standard of living and social well-being of people”, she said, adding there was a pressing need to deviate from the past and actively identify and treat individuals suffering from any disability recognized by the World Health Organization.
Dr. Nausheen said the government was determined to eliminate quackery in the medical and allied health professions, and would ensure standardization of healthcare education and accreditation of related educational institutions.
She said the government was also making efforts to leave no one behind in access to basic health and education facilities, which also help the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
Moreover, we were also working round the clock to tackle the menace of dengue to eradicate Polio, she added.
President, Pakistan Speech Language Pathologist Association (PSLPA), Dr. Nazia Mumtaz said the prevalence of speech, communication and hearing disorders was significantly high in our society.
“Unfortunately, sufficient number of trained and qualified Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP/T’s) are not available in the country”, she said adding speech language therapy enables individuals suffering from such disabilities to help make them productive citizens of the state and improve their quality of life.
