Over 32 million Pakistanis affected by mental health disorders, NA told

More than 32.04 million people in Pakistan are affected by mental health disorders, according to Global Burden of Disease Study figures the Ministry of National Health Services presented in the National Assembly, as reported by Minute Mirror. Against that caseload, the ministry's data puts the number of registered psychiatrists in the country at 1,050.

That works out to roughly one psychiatrist for every 245,400 people, the outlet reported, a ratio it said raises concerns about access to diagnosis and treatment, particularly in districts with limited health facilities. Minute Mirror said the figures point to a need to strengthen mental health infrastructure and train more specialists.

The provincial split of registered psychiatrists is Punjab 406, Sindh 228, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 122 and Balochistan 44, according to the ministry's submission. Those four figures add up to 800; the report did not say where the remaining 250 of the 1,050 are registered. For people living with mental health conditions, the submission as reported gave one sub-national figure: about 300,000 in Islamabad as of 2023.

The same submission carried figures for people living with AIDS. Of 3,900 registered patients nationwide, Sindh has the highest count at 1,915, followed by Punjab with 1,765. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 139 and Balochistan 46, while Islamabad has 30, Azad Jammu and Kashmir four and Gilgit-Baltistan one, Minute Mirror reported.

Separately, Allama Iqbal Open University said it held an awareness seminar on Friday in connection with World Mental Health Day, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The university said the event was meant to highlight the importance of mental health, raise awareness about psychological issues and promote positive attitudes towards mental well-being in society. APP's report ran to a single paragraph and did not name the speakers, give the number of participants or say where on the campus the seminar was held.

The mental health figures are drawn from the Global Burden of Disease Study; the report did not say how many of those affected are receiving treatment, nor how many of the country's registered psychiatrists work in the public sector.