Pioneering Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Families in Pakistan at The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

Atoofa Najmi is working as the team lead of Child Life Services at Pediatric Psychosocial Department, The Indus Hospital. She has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and has been working with pediatric patients in hospital settings for over two years. Her area of interest lies in child and adolescent mental well-being, medical play and procedural support.

When I started working at The Indus Hospital Pediatric Psychosocial Department more than 2 years ago, I had little idea about the profound impact working here would have on me.  In the line of work such as ours, one forever lives and shifts (often within minutes) between two conflicting emotional states: sadness and happiness, despair and joy, hope and helplessness.

I still remember my first day at the hospital, where I had to accompany a counselor to support a grieving family whose teenage son had passed away a few minutes ago. In complete contrast, I also recall the experience of witnessing Muneeb* and his family’s ecstatic smiles, his pride on ringing the survivor’s bell and parading victoriously throughout the complex. This is just a passing glimpse of the impact psychosocial support has on kids and their families. It enables them to understand, cope up, adjust and celebrate milestones while going through the distressing experiences at the hospital and outside. 

However, the availability of these psychosocial support interventions to children under treatment for cancer is far from being the norm. In a country, where psychological care is scarcely available to even the most psychologically vulnerable patients, developing a full-fledged Pediatric Psychosocial Department has been a long and difficult journey. 

The Pediatric Psychosocial Department at The Indus Hospital is among the first of its kind, pioneering psychosocial care for pediatric patients and their caregivers in Pakistan. In 2013, the department started off with just one counselor and one volunteer. Today, it has transformed into a team of 13 members offering dedicated services under the domains of child life, end of life care, spiritual care, social services, mental health counseling and hospital-based schooling system. It continues to expand its scope of services, seek international mentorship opportunities and further improve the standard of care provided to our patients. 

It is our vision to be a center of excellence for psychosocial services in healthcare settings in Pakistan. The aim is to build capacities at other pediatric oncology centers across the country. Our earnest wish is that such services become a vital part of our healthcare system rather than being a privilege for a select few.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy of patients