'National Mental Health Policy developed to bring mental healthcare closer to every family'

ISLAMABAD -- Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal has said the National Mental Health Policy has been developed with a clear purpose to bring mental health care closer to every family in the country.

He stated this while addressing the inaugural session of Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 which began in Islamabad today under the theme "Building Climate-Resilient and Future-Ready Mental Health Systems for Children, Young People and Communities in Pakistan".

He said estimates indicate that around 24 million people in Pakistan require psychiatric assistance, while the country has fewer than one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people.

Syed Mustafa Kamal said the National Mental Health Policy provides a shared national direction while allowing provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to respond according to their respective local needs.