ISLAMABAD: The National Mental Health Policy was launched on Thursday at the global mental health summit with the government pledging to expand mental healthcare through primary and community-based services.
Addressing the inaugural session, Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said the policy aimed at bringing mental health services closer to families and ensuring access to care across the country.
He said mental health should be treated as a shared national responsibility involving the health and education sectors, communities and other stakeholders.
According to estimates cited by the minister, around 24 million people in Pakistan require psychiatric assistance, while the country has fewer than one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people. Mental health disorders also contribute significantly to the burden of years lived with disability.
Around 24m people in Pakistan require psychiatric assistance, while there is fewer than one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people, says minister
“Behind these numbers are children struggling at school, parents unable to work and families looking for help,” Mr Kamal said, stressing the need for dignity and accessible care.
The policy provides a common national framework while allowing provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to develop responses according to local needs, he said.
Key priorities include integrating mental healthcare into primary health services, expanding community-based care, improving specialist services and strengthening prevention, early identification, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.
The minister said children and young people would remain a central focus with schools, families and health services expected to work together to identify mental health concerns at an early stage.
He also called for stronger mental health support during floods and other emergencies, increased capacity-building for healthcare workers and wider use of digital health services to reach underserved communities.
The minister announced that letters of understanding would be signed with provincial health and education departments, alongside the Islamabad Declaration for Mental Health, to translate policy commitments into implementation plans with defined responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes.
He appreciated the support and ownership extended by provincial leadership, health and education departments and acknowledged the continued collaboration of the Global Institute of Human Development, Shifa Tameer-i-Millat University, WHO, Unicef and other development partners.
The summit, being held under the theme “Building climate-resilient and future-ready mental health systems for children, young people and communities in Pakistan”, is supported by national and international health and development partners.
Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath said that the National Mental Health Policy marked a shared commitment to bring care closer to every family.
“Working with provincial governments, we will translate this commitment into practical action in schools, primary healthcare and communities, so that people can access support early, with dignity and respect,” he said.
“Investing in mental health is a smart investment. Every dollar invested in addressing conditions including depression and anxiety yields four dollars in returns through better health and improved productivity,” he said.
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “There is no shame in needing mental health support. Anyone can be affected at some point in our lives. WHO is committed to working with Pakistan and all countries to ensure that everyone has access to the mental health support they need, no matter where they live or who they are; because there is no health without mental health.”
Unicef representative in Pakistan Pernille Ironside said: “Mental health and well-being are fundamental to children’s ability to learn, develop and thrive. We must put children and adolescents at the centre of mental health efforts with greater focus on prevention, early identification, and care. As climate change and digital environments increasingly affect young lives, mental health resilience must be part of building a healthier, more resilient generation.”
“Pakistan is undergoing a significant transformation in its mental health agenda. Through sustained investments in research, implementation science, policy development and community-based innovation, the country has demonstrated that effective mental healthcare can be delivered through primary healthcare, schools and communities using scalable, evidence-informed approaches,” said Dr Syed Usman Hamdani, Director of the Global Institute of Human Development.
Pakistan aims to consolidate the mental health summit as its flagship international platform for advancing mental health policy, implementation science, innovation and global partnerships, while promoting equitable, climate-resilient and future-ready mental health systems.
Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026
