scholarly journals 304 - Mental healthcare services and advocacy for older people amidst the COVID crisis: Voices from South Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 27-27
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The South ◽  
Unique Region ◽  
The World ◽  
Trained Manpower

AbstractAsia has some of the fastest developing economies and largest conglomerations of populations in the world. One such geographically unique region is South Asia, which accounts for nearly 25% of the global population and one-fifth of the psychiatric morbidity worldwide. This region is also ageing rapidly compared to rest of the world due to modifications in healthcare facilities, hygiene, and lifestyle as well as improved sanitation and infection control. Besides, some of the South Asian countries have also been worst-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to an exaggerated psychosocial crisis among their older people. Many of these nations face issues with community psychiatric care, trained manpower, socio-economic resources, legislation catering to psychological care and health inequalities. However, recent years have also witnessed paradigm shift in mental health policies, infrastructure and technology among these nations. Climate changes, migration, displacement and ecological characteristics further make South Asia unique in mental health needs and challenges.With this background, leaders in the field of psychogeriatric care from some of the South Asian nations come together to discuss and highlight upcoming strategies for mental health advocacy and service delivery among older people in these regions. Mutual collaboration and cross-country research are globally called upon.Panelists:1. Dr. Gautam Saha (President, Indian Psychiatric Society) [email protected]. Dr. G.Prasad Rao (President, Indian Association of Geriatric Mental Health) [email protected]. Dr. Sudarshan Narsingh (President, Psychiatrists’ Association of Nepal & President, SAARC Psychiatric Federation) [email protected]. Dr. Wazizul Alam Chowdhury (President, Bangladesh Associa tion of Psychiatrists) [email protected]. Dr. Afzal Javed (President, World Psychiatric Association and Chairman, Pakistan Psychiatric Centre, Fountain House, Lahore) [email protected]:Dr. Debanjan Banerjee (Old Age Psychiatrist, NIMHANS, Bangalore; Member, IPA Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee) [email protected]

Developing Economies in A Borderless World

2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-62
Author(s):  
P.K. Jain ◽  
Manmohan Yadav
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Per Capita Gdp ◽  
The World ◽  
Per Capita

The “Death of Distance” will be the single most important economic force shaping the society over the next half century with geography, borders and time zones becoming irrelevant with the new communication revolution. The world trade has increased manifolds since World War II and the merchandise exports have increased to about $6,000 billion today from just $50 billion in 1950 while the trade in services is increasing faster and stands at about $1,450 billion as the economies are opening up and integrating with the world economy. As evident from the experience of the countries that followed open-market and free trade policies, achieved higher growth rates in their GDP, per capita GDP, and the exports than the closed economies. As more and more countries are opening their economies and integrating with the world economy and the revolution in IT, we are heading towards a “borderless” world with free flow of trade and resources. The autarkic strategies for economic development followed by India since its independence inevitably cut the economy off from the technological advancements in rest of the world and as a result India still remains way behind the industrialised economies. Also, despite above average growth in India's GDP and exports since 1970s than the world average, India's per capita GDP is among the lowest at $370. Even the most populous country in the world, China has per capita GDP of $860. The balance-of-payments crisis in mid-1991 forced the Indian policymakers to make a paradigm shift, though under IMF-led bail out package and prescription for structural adjustments, in its economic, industrial, and trade policies more commonly known as the “economic reforms”- liberalisation and globalisation of Indian economy. While the reforms have helped overcome the liquidity crisis and the economy broadly got back to the growth charted in 1980s, yet the structural adjustments have propelled investment in non-traded goods and in buying out of well performing Indian companies and brands by the MNCs than actually increasing the gross fixed capital formation in the manufacturing sector with the modern technologies. It is under this background and the similarities in cultural, political, ethnic and alike factors among the South Asian countries, that the present paper aims at analysing and learning lessons from the progressive aspects as well as failures of India's economic reforms, while the South Asian countries emulated the same.

scholarly journals Regional Economic Integration in South Asia: The Way Forward

2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (4II) ◽  
pp. 959-974
Author(s):  
Musleh-ud Din ◽  
Shahbaz Nasir
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Regional Economic Integration ◽  
The South ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
Asian Economies

Like many developing economies, the South Asian countries are opening-up their economies with a view to accelerating their economic growth through greater trade and investment. In this context, attempts have also been made to encourage regional trade under the aegis of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). In particular, the South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) provides for reductions in tariffs and other restrictions on specific commodities on a reciprocal basis, and the eventual objective is to integrate the South Asian economies into a free trade area through SAFTA, which would come into force on January 1, 2006. However, despite greater attention on regional economic cooperation initiatives, there has been little progress in regional trade expansion: intra-regional trade continues to be minimal, not exceeding 5 percent of the total trade of the South Asian economies. This paper highlights the importance of regional economic integration in South Asia as elsewhere, spells out the factors which have so far hampered economic cooperation in the region, and outlines a future course of action to achieve greater economic integration in South Asia. Section 2 provides a broad perspective on regional economic integration with a particular focus on the need to foster greater economic cooperation in South Asia. Section 3 discusses the factors that have impeded intra-regional trade and economic ties within the region. Section 4 spells out measures to enhance economic cooperation in the SAARC region, while Section 5 concludes the discussion.

scholarly journals Adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards in Public Sector of Developing Economies -Analysis of Five South Asian Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javed Miraj ◽  
Zhuquan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

We examined the extent of adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in South Asia and the challenges that are decelerating this process. The moderating organization, International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSAB), instituted IPSAS in an effort to improve financial reporting by public sector organizations and for comparability purposes. The aims of this research were to establish to what extent the IPSAS has been adopted in South Asia and determine the drawbacks contributing to its slow adoption process. To answer the study questions a literature review of the South Asian countries that have adopted the IPSAS was conducted. The study findings show that most of the South Asian nations have adopted the IPSASs though to different extents. Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have implemented the IPSAS but taking different approaches and directions, while India still uses the cash based accounting system. The key barriers include; lack of experienced staff, delay in provision of information by the public entities, and lack of a defined implementation timeframe which seem to cut across these countries.

scholarly journals Research capacity strengthening in South Asia: based on the experience of South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research and Education on Mental Health (SHARE)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sharma ◽  
B. Razzaque
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Research Capacity Building ◽  
The South ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
Building Program

AbstractThe South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research and Education (SHARE) was a five-year National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded program that aimed to stimulate the research base for task-shifting mental health interventions to address the mental health treatment gap in low and middle-income countries. During its 5 years (2011–2016) SHARE made notable accomplishments, including providing 20 studentships for short courses and ten fellowships to conduct mentored study, developing a new humanitarian research training course, implementing distance learning courses, creating an online repository of training materials, creation of a network of public health researchers at different career stages in South Asia, strengthening of partnerships amongst institutions of SHARE network and supporting its member's to produce peer reviewed publications. Furthermore, additional research capacity building and research grants leveraged on SHARE network were secured. The salient lessons learned in the 5-year program were that research capacity-building opportunities need to be tailored to the local context, as SHARE sought to develop and support courses that can build the capacities in specific areas identified as weak in the South Asian region. Mentoring was recognized as a critical component for which innovative and effective models of mentoring in the region need to be developed. Diverse platforms and mediums ought to be utilized to deliver the research training programs. Finally, research capacity-building program requires collaborative efforts of multiple stakeholders working locally, nationally and globally to attain the maximum impact in a region.

scholarly journals Climate change, regulatory policies and regional cooperation in South Asia

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habib Zafarullah ◽  
Ahmed Shafiqul Huque
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Asian Region ◽  
South Asian Region

Purpose With climate change and environmental degradation being major issues in the world today, it is imperative for governments within a regional setting to collaborate on initiatives, harmonize their policies and develop strategies to counter threats. In South Asia, several attempts have been made to create a common framework for action in implementing synchronized policies. However, both political and technical deterrents have thwarted moves to accommodate priorities and interests of collaborating states. The purpose of this paper is to assess these issues and existing policies/strategies in selected South Asian countries and evaluate integrated plans of action based on collaborative partnerships. Design/methodology/approach Using a broad exploratory and interpretive approach, this paper evaluates how harmonization of environmental principles and synergies among countries can help reduce the effect of climate change and environmental hazards. Based on a review of ideas and concepts as well as both primary and secondary sources, including official records, legislation, inter-state and regional agreements, evaluation reports, impact studies (social, economic and ecological), and commentaries, it highlights several initiatives and processes geared to creating environmental protection standards and practices for the South Asian region. Findings Climate change has resulted in devastating impacts on people. It contributed to the proliferation of climate refugees and high incidence of poverty in South Asia. The region faces both political and technical obstacles in developing a sustainable approach to combat climate change. This is exacerbated by non-availability of information as well as reluctance to acknowledge the problem by key actors. The best strategy will be to integrate policies and regulations in the various countries of the region to develop strategic plans. The approach of prevention and protection should replace the existing emphasis on relief and rehabilitation. Originality/value The paper provides a critical overview of the climatic and environmental problems encountered in the South Asian region and provides pointers to resolving shared problems through the use of policy instruments for regulating the problems within the gamut of regional environmental governance. It attempts to identify solutions to offset regulatory and institutional barriers in achieving preferred results by emphasizing the need for redesigning regulatory structures and policy approaches for ecological well-being.

scholarly journals War or Peace on the Rivers of South Asia?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-254
Author(s):  
Muhammad Imran Mehsud ◽  
Azam Jan ◽  
Tariq Anwar Khan
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Water Relations ◽  
South Asian ◽  
The Other ◽  
The South ◽  
Water Sharing ◽  
The Ganges

The renowned water expert, John Briscoe, predicted a bleak future for India-Pakistan water relations across the Indus attributing it to Pakistan’s downstream anxieties vis-à-vis upstream regional hegemon-India. Do the other co-riparian states of India share the same bleak future across the South Asian rivers of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna or are the water relations across these rivers peaceful as compared to the Indus? To answer this question, this study first explores India-Pakistan water disputes on the Indus and then analyses India-Bangladesh water disputes on the Ganges and Brahmaputra, India-Nepal, India-Bhutan, and Pakistan-Afghanistan water relations. The methodology adopted for this study is descriptive, historical, and analytical in its nature. The study concludes that India has not only failed to adopt a conciliatory approach towards Pakistan on the Indus but has generated mistrust amongst other neighbouring countries over water sharing due to its hegemonic hydro-behaviour. It recommends that India should adopt a conciliatory approach to have peaceful relations across the rivers of South Asia.

scholarly journals Prevalence of mental disorders in South Asia: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Mahbub Hossain ◽  
Neetu Purohit ◽  
Abida Sultana ◽  
Ping Ma ◽  
E. Lisako J. McKyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Umbrella Review ◽  
Meta Analyses

Objectives: Mental disorders are highly prevalent in eight South Asian countries, yet there is a gap of a synthesized overview of the prevalence of mental disorders in this region. This umbrella review aims to summarize the prevalence of mental disorders from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of South Asian studies.Materials and methods: A systematic search of 11 major databases and additional sources was conducted until December 11, 2019. Articles were included if they were systematic reviews or meta-analyses, reported the prevalence of mental disorders, and reported primary studies conducted in South Asian countries only. Results: Among 2591 citations, a total of 23 reviews met all the criteria of this umbrella review. The synthesized findings from those reviews suggest high prevalence rates for mental disorders, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, suicidal behavior and self-harm, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, dementia, and other mental health problems. Also, findings suggest a high burden of maternal depression, psychiatric comorbidities in chronic physical illnesses, and various mental disorders among children, elderly adults, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. Most studies were from India whereas evidence from Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives was limited.Conclusion: The findings of this review are constrained with heterogeneity in prevalence estimations, methodologies, sampling issues, and limitations in the existing literature, which should be addressed in future research. The evidence synthesized in this review provides national and regional overview of the prevalence of mental disorders, which may inform better policymaking and practice advancing mental health in South Asia.

scholarly journals What Leads to Intra-Industry Trade between Sri Lanka and South Asia?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilini Saparamadu ◽  
Nesrine Akrimi
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Value Added ◽  
The South ◽  
Industry Trade ◽  
Asian Region ◽  
South Asian Region

This study ascertains the determinants of Intra-Industry Trade (IIT) with particular reference to IIT between Sri Lanka and its major trading partners in South Asia; namely; India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The study uses secondary data published in World Development Indicators, Penn World Table from 1992 to 2017. The level of IIT is calculated by using data gathered from Comtrade Data Base. Using panel data regression, the study adopts Random Effect model to analyze the regression results. The study concludes that economies of scale measured by difference of value added in the net output of the manufacturing sector and market size measured by average gross domestic product exert a significant influence on the level of IIT in the South Asian region. Differences of per capita Gross National Income (GNI - difference in income level) and tariff rate (the proxy for trade barriers) poses a negative influence on the level of IIT. The policymakers should be concerned about the possibility to increase IIT in the South Asian region. Based on the findings of the study, the present research offers policy recommendations to promote IIT within the region.

scholarly journals Analisis Teori Fungsionalisme pada Integrasi Kawasan Asia Selatan (Studi Kasus Konflik India-Pakistan di wilayah Kashmir)

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-195
Author(s):  
Tri Shinta
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
The South ◽  
Member States ◽  
The Real ◽  
Complex Region ◽  
Good Relation

South Asia is a complex region. It is marked with the emergence and continuity of the conflict. India-Pakistan conflict is one of them. This conflict begun on 1947 and the biggest of conflict divided into three conflicts. Functionalism according to David Mitrany in “A Working Peace System” believes that Region Integration is trusted to make the conflict lower and good relation among state. This perception applied on 1985 in South Asia, which known with SAARC (The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). The fact, this conflict still continues till today. However, this paper seeks for the analysis of how’s functionalism theory explain the conflict of India-Pakistan on the regional integration: is that the conflict form an ideal integration of Sout Asia and decline the conflict, or conversely. Furthermore, the result of this research describes that Functionalism is not success on explaining South Asia integration, which means the India-Pakistan conflict still exist and the real integration among member states still not exist yet.

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