Islamabad – The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) is planning to create an autism center in its city. Minister of State Barrister Usman Ibrahim said in a meeting held on Nov. 5 that officials should make a committee consisting of the joint secretary of health, director National of Rehabilitation and Medicine (NIRM) along with Dr. Rafat Hafeez.
The committee’s job is to create the proposal that will factor in cost, budget, and building requirements for the center to be submitted to the minister of state by Nov. 10.
Ibrahim met with The Express Tribune and commented that children on the autism spectrum have every right to a normal and healthy life like any other child, no matter their intellect. In a press release he added that this project might open doors for others:
“Many projects to cater to autistic patients get shelved because they are very ambitious, therefore we would initiate this project as a pilot project initially to gauge its success rate,”
Once the proposal is accepted Ibrahim stated that they would find the space, equipment, and medical staff for the center alone before involving international donor agencies at a later date to monitor its success.
The original article in The Express Tribune can be read here