Pakistan to develop mental health implementation plan within 12 months

ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (ABC): Pakistan will develop a costed and time-bound national mental health implementation and monitoring plan within the next 12 months as part of efforts to expand access to mental healthcare, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath said on Friday.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the two-day Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 in Islamabad, the minister said the plan would be developed in consultation with the provinces, while a National Hub of Excellence would also be established in collaboration with provincial partners to help translate evidence into policy, build capacity and strengthen the mental health workforce.

He called on all provinces and federating areas to provide written endorsement within 45 days to facilitate implementation of the National Mental Health Policy and other commitments made at the summit.

Dr Bharath said around 32 million people in Pakistan required mental healthcare, while the treatment gap remained approximately 95 percent, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the country’s health system.

He said the summit brought together national and international stakeholders, policymakers, development partners, UN agencies, academia, civil society and young people to consider ways of making mental healthcare available closer to communities and integrating services into primary healthcare and educational institutions.

The minister said mental health conditions remained a major cause of compromised health among women and a significant cause among men, while suicide continued to be a serious public health concern. He stressed that mental illness was treatable and recovery was possible with timely and accessible care.

The summit marked several milestones, including the launch of the National Mental Health Policy, national programmes for child and adolescent mental health through schools and the adoption of the Islamabad Declaration for Global Mental Health.

Looking ahead over the next two to three years, Dr Bharath identified three priorities: expanding mental health services through primary and community-based care across provinces and regions; strengthening the mental health workforce, including school psychologists; and incorporating mental health into laws, budgets, benefit packages and health data systems.

He said coordinated and sustained action was needed to ensure quality mental health services were accessible across Pakistan, with greater provincial ownership playing an important role in translating national commitments into services on the ground.

The minister called on partners to align their efforts behind a single national action plan and turn commitments made at the summit into practical measures for children, adolescents, young people, women and marginalised communities.

He thanked WHO, UNICEF, the Global Institute of Human Development at Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, provincial governments, development partners, young people and people with lived experience for their contributions.

The Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 was held in Islamabad on October 1-2, bringing together national and international stakeholders to discuss coordinated action, sustainable financing and community-based approaches to strengthening Pakistan’s mental health system.