Abstract
Pakistan is a lower-middle income country in South Asia where forensic psychiatry is often not recognized as a distinct subspecialty of psychiatry. Although evolution toward this direction has begun, more development in this field is needed. Before Pakistan’s Mental Health Ordinance of 2001, much of the mental health legislation and intitutional infrastructure pertaining to the mentally ill offender can be traced back to the Indian Lunacy Act of 1912. The past two decades have witnessed important legal developments in the role of psychiatry in Pakistan’s criminal justice system. This has been seen through the devolution of health-care provision and by an extension of psychiatric service provision from the federation (federal government) to the four provinces. Despite the sparse resources allocated to psychiatry, competent yet scarce psychiatry residents are graduating from Pakistan’s accredited residency programs with an interest in forensic psychiatry. The objective of this article is to reflect on the past, while examining the current state of existing forensic mental health in Pakistan. This article will also address the future trajectory of forensic psychiatry in Pakistan and supports the establishment of forensic psychiatry as a subspecialty in Pakistan.
Highlights
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a majority Muslim country in South Asia with a population of 220 million in a geographical land mass of 800,000 km2
The Mental Health Ordinance (MHO) defines a “mentally disordered prisoner” as someone who is detained in a psychiatric facility under the provisions of various criminal procedures, Prisoners Acts and under the Pakistan Air Force Act and Navy Ordinance [3]
Pakistan is at a watershed moment where the disciplines of psychiatry and the law are beginning to build bridges
Summary
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a majority Muslim country in South Asia with a population of 220 million in a geographical land mass of 800,000 km. Module, forensic psychiatry is documented as part of the overall syllabus This requires the resident to have assessed under supervision 10 forensic patients overall and be trained in understanding: 1. In 2001, a draft document was presented at the Pakistan’s Psychiatric Society’s biennial conference This conference was attended by both United Kingdom– trained Pakistani psychiatrists alongside local Pakistani psychiatrists. This conference worked toward drafting the Mental Health Ordinance (MHO) 2001 [3]. Under the MHO 2001, the Federal Mental Health Authority was established with the aim of developing national standards for patient care. Despite advances in the legislative framework, practice lagged behind
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