A four-day training programme on mental health started at the University of Kashmir on Wednesday.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmad inaugurated the training programme, organised by the varsity’s Department of Social Work (DoSW) for community-level health professionals from Budgam district.
“The ongoing pandemic only aggravated these concerns, which will have to be addressed in a serious manner with the collective efforts of one and all,” he said.
Prof Talat said while Kashmir has faced difficulties over the years, it has had big strength in people’s sense of spirituality that they inherited culturally.
“I think people need to go back to these roots of spirituality to derive the spiritual support to address a host of ills besetting society. It will be a kind of natural healing, which needs to be highlighted and propagated,” he said.
Dean of Academic Affairs Prof Shabir A Bhat called for creating a support system in academic institutions to counsel teachers and students to cruise through Covid-19 pandemic fallouts, especially related to mental health.
Prof M Maqbool, Head, Department of Psychiatry, IMHNS GMC Srinagar talked at length about various mental health concerns and challenges post-Covid19 outbreak.