Islamabad: The Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 opened in Islamabad with the launch of the National Mental Health Policy, marking a significant step towards strengthening mental health services and making mental healthcare accessible to people across Pakistan.
According to Press Information Department, Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, addressing the inaugural session of the Summit, stated that the National Mental Health Policy was developed to bring mental healthcare closer to every family in Pakistan. The Minister highlighted that mental health is not only a health-sector issue but a shared national responsibility requiring coordinated action across health, education, communities, and other sectors.
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. Mental health disorders constitute a major burden in terms of years lived with disability. “Behind these numbers are children struggling at school, parents unable to work, and families looking for help. Everyone deserves care, dignity, and respect,” the Minister said.
Syed Mustafa Kamal emphasized that 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 local needs. The government’s approach aims to address mental health across the continuum of care, from promotion and prevention to early identification, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery.
The Minister highlighted key priorities of the policy, including integration of mental health into primary healthcare, strengthening community-based services, and ensuring access to specialist care where required. He stressed that children and young people must remain at the heart of the national mental health response, with schools, families, and health services working together to address mental health needs at an early stage.
He also pointed out the need to strengthen mental health support during emergencies, enhance the capacity of healthcare workers, and expand the use of digital health services to reach underserved communities. Letters of Understanding will be signed with provincial health and education departments alongside the Islamabad Declaration for Mental Health to translate policy commitments into practical action.
The Minister confirmed that all provinces were part of the policy development process from the outset, with the federal government providing technical assistance to support the provinces in developing implementation plans according to their respective needs. “These implementation plans will have clear priorities, responsibilities, timelines, and measurable results,” he said.
The ultimate objective is to transform national commitments into mental health services accessible within communities. Syed Mustafa Kamal acknowledged the support and collaboration from provincial leadership, health and education departments, and development partners like the Global Institute of Human Development, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, WHO, UNICEF, and others.
He emphasized the importance of involving people with lived experience of mental health challenges, young people, and families in the process to develop services responsive to real community needs. The Federal Minister called upon all stakeholders to leave the Summit with a shared commitment to action and work collectively towards building stronger, accessible, and people-centered mental health services across Pakistan.
The Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 is being held in Islamabad under the theme “Building Climate-Resilient and Future-Ready Mental Health Systems for Children, Young People and Communities in Pakistan.”