• Home

Film star Kunchako Boban on a social mission

Outpatient facility is designed for child development, autism and adult psychiatry

Dubai: Popular Indian film star Kunchako Boban has picked the UAE as the launch-pad for an off the screen social mission — setting up a one-stop mind-care centre for children and adults.

The outpatient facility, designed for child development, autism and adult psychiatry in Al Nahda area of Sharjah, is the first in a chain of cutting-edge low-cost clinics the star from the South Indian state of Kerala and his wife Priya plan to set up in India and the Gulf.

Speaking to Khaleej Times from a filming location in Sharjah for his latest movie, the hero of scores of blockbusters said the “not for profit” project is a dream come true for him and in line with a long-cherished societal initiative to take his message of care and love off-screen.

Modelled after the iconic mind institutes and child guidance clinics in the USA, Al Fasht Medical Centre provides  sensitive, individualised remedial programmes, manages challenging behaviours, and minimise hospitalisation.

Dr. C.B. Binu, Chief Psychiatrist at Al Fasht, said the Sharjah facility was conceived as a one-stop centre to coordinate the resources of diverse disciplines. “We offer diagnosis and treatment of child behaviour and learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism, adult psychiatry, stress disorders and memory loss.”

 Dr Binu said he was concerned about children with neuro developmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorders or learning disorders, who have to go to different clinics to receive remedial services. “Providers are not always centrally located and in most cases the communication among therapists is limited. I wanted to change that with a one-stop therapy centre.”

At Al Fasht, autistic children receive all services under one roof from a multi-disciplinary team of therapists who work in conjunction with one another.

Specialty services also address memory and neuro-cognitive disorders, obesity and lifestyle problems, and offer social care and community outreach programmes. The facility plans to organise workshops and seminars in child development and autism to spread awareness and increase community participation, said Dr Binu.

issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com