Awareness Lecture Held to Mark Awareness Day

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:  Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), managed by Cleveland Clinic, is urging the public to respect and recognise patients with mental illness, as part of awareness activities for World Mental Health Day.

Organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) every year, this year’s focus was Dignity in Mental Health” which reinforces a patient’s inherent value and worth in the community.

“Dignity is the right of a patient to live a life with all respects to his human rights. It means he has the ability to make choices, and be free from violence, discrimination and abuse, and also respect for his autonomy and self-determination,” said Dr. Alaa Haweel, consultant psychiatrist at the Behavioural Science Pavilion (BSP) at SKMC, who conducted an awareness lecture at the hospital on 13 October.

Being the largest psychiatric centre in the UAE, SKMC’s BSP serves as the nation’s leading resource for clinical work, education and research, with special emphasis on multidisciplinary practices, and the integration of mental health services with other medical fields.

SKMC is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.