Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS) and Young Psychiatrists Forum (YPF) jointly organised the National Young Psychiatrists’ Conference here on Sunday. The speakers at the conference underscored the need to include psychiatry as subject in MBBS course.
On the occasion, the IPS national president Roy Abraham Kallivayalil said that there were plenty of opportunities in the field of psychiatry.
According to the World Health Organisation 14 per cent of the population was suffering from psychiatric problems. If psychiatry was included in the MBBS course, it helps in training more experts, he said.
Vijayawada Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences director Indla Ramasubba Reddy said that there were only 4,000 psychiatrists across the country. But, if the population were to be considered, at least 20,000 psychiatrists were required.
Organising chairman Indla Vishal Reddy said that Bangalore-based NIMHANS was training 16 people in post-graduate course in psychiatry. Of this, 13 were looking for jobs abroad and only three were serving in the country. There was shortage of trained faculty as well. The conference was being organised for the first time in the city and there was tremendous response, he said.
Forum convener Venkatesh Ramachandran, and another forum member T.S. Rao, spoke.
