The famous psychiatrist, Professor Syed Haroon Ahmed, died on Thursday after a prolonged disease after a stroke, according to an obituary issued by the Pakistan Mental Health Association (PAMH).
Born in 1931 in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, Professor Ahmed was awarded the Pamh Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 for his services in the field of Social Sciences, Human Rights, Psychiatry and the promotion of mental health care in the country.
According to the obituary, Professor Ahmed played a “fundamental role” in the configuration of modern psychiatry.
As the main psychiatrist in Room 20 of the Jinnah Hospital, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), contributed significantly to the development of psychiatric care, he said.
He co -founded Pakistan’s psychiatric society in 1972 and, in 1965, established the Pamh, allowing him to extend attention to the most needy.
He added that beyond his contributions to mental health, he was a “fervent defender” of peace and human rights and had campaigned in the campaign against Pakistan nuclear weapons in 1998 as president of international doctors for the prevention of nuclear war.
The PAMH said it also had a long -standing association with the Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP).
“One of his most significant contributions was in the reform of the Mental Health Law. Recognizing the outdated nature of Pakistan’s psychiatric legislation, he led the efforts to replace the archaic lunch law of 1912. His perseverance led to the approval of the 2013 Mental Health Law of 2013, the first laws in Pakistan to provide insurance to people Psychiatric, including those of the health of the laws of the law, including the laws of laws.
He said he was survived by his devoted wife and three children.
“His life was a testimony of the service, compassion and justice. While his absence leaves an irreplaceable vacuum, his legacy will continue to illuminate the way for coming generations,” said the obituary.
According to a statement issued by the spokesman for the principal minister of Sindh, Abdul Rasheed Channa, CM Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed a deep sadness for death and offered prayers for Ahmed while paying tribute to his services.
The HCRP said that his commitment to social justice and human rights had remained “unwavering.”
The president of the Karachi press club, Fazil Jamili, said he was deeply saddened by death, going to Ahmed as “a pioneer of mental health in Pakistan and a tireless defender of human rights, the rights of minorities and secularism.”
“His contributions to medicine and society will be remembered.”
