The Department of Health Services, Government of Maharashtra would be imparting high grade training to senior qualified psychiatrists from around the state, and especially from the rural sectors, updating them on the latest developments and advancements in the field of psychiatry. Around 350 psychiatrists have been selected to undergo a month long training that would be held at the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) at Sassoon Hospital, Pune between April-May.

According to Dr P P Doke, Additional Director, Directorate of Health Services, Government of Maharashtra, the training is being undertaken to update the senior doctors from the specialty and specifically from various talukas and rural districts to ensure that they remain abreast on the current developments in the field.

"The training programme has been organized keeping in view the shortcomings that doctors at these low grade areas go through while attending to a patient. Modern facilities at such places is a distinct facility, but if we could manage to update them on the advanced treatment modalities available, it would help a great deal."

Already, according to Dr Doke, the number of psychiatrists practicing at various rural districts around the state is very minimal. For the 25 rural districts around the State, there are only 14 qualified psychiatrists who are available to attend to a patient. "Quite often patients from these backward areas go to other far off places to avail of the facilities and treatment. But with these advanced training modules, it would help the doctors in diagnosing and accordingly establishing the line of treatment for the patients, which then could be continued on a future scale," said Dr Doke.