{"id":7073,"date":"2026-10-02T16:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T16:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=7073"},"modified":"2026-10-02T16:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T16:03:17","slug":"32-million-people-in-pakistan-require-mental-health-care-health-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=7073","title":{"rendered":"32 Million People in Pakistan Require Mental Health Care: Health Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Dr Mukhtar Bharath has said that around 32 million people in Pakistan require mental health care, while the treatment gap in the country stands at approximately 95 percent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Addressing a ceremony in the federal capital, the minister said the conclusion of the Global Mental Health Summit marked not an end but the beginning of a practical national journey toward addressing mental health challenges in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the time had come to translate policies and commitments into concrete action, adding that experts, partners and young people had shared their views during the two-day global summit and contributed to developing a clear roadmap for the future of mental health care in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Mukhtar Bharath said ensuring access to mental health services for every child, young person and adult close to their homes was a national priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stressed that the issue was not merely about statistics but concerned the lives of millions of people. Mental health, he said, needed to be given the same priority as other common health conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister said people should not hesitate to seek help for mental health problems, adding that conditions including depression, anxiety, anger and midlife crisis could be addressed through appropriate treatment and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said eliminating the stigma associated with mental health was a shared responsibility of society. Government institutions, the media and different segments of society would need to work together to effectively address mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Mukhtar Bharath also called on the media to play an active role in raising awareness about mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He urged media houses to give greater attention to mental health awareness as part of their corporate social responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister said the public needed to be given the message that there was no need to fear mental health problems and that seeking timely professional help was essential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Dr Mukhtar Bharath has said that around 32 million people in Pakistan require mental health care, while the treatment gap in the country stands&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1597,35],"class_list":["post-7073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan","tag-mental-health","tag-pakistan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - 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