Provincial and federal officials, WHO Pakistan, UNICEF and academic partners meet to build a decade-long national strategy.
LAHORE: A provincial consultative meeting on the Mental Health Policy Framework (2026-2035) was held at King Edward Medical University on Saturday, with Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique attending as chief guest.
Officials from the federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination joined provincial officials, faculty from teaching hospitals across Punjab and technical experts to work towards an integrated, consensus-based national strategy for the next decade.
Partners in the consultative process include WHO Pakistan, UNICEF, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University and the Global Institute of Human Development.
The meeting opened with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem. Its stated objective is to formulate an integrated, comprehensive and consensus-based national strategy spanning the next decade, with the 2026-2035 framework intended to foster coordination among all provincial units so that modern, high-quality mental health services reach every citizen.
Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Salman Rafique congratulated Prof Dr Mahmood Ayaz on his re-appointment as Vice-Chancellor of King Edward Medical University and commended the administration for organising a meeting on the subject. He said the department was working to provide healthcare facilities in line with the chief minister’s vision, that fundamental measures had been taken in the health sector and that a network of new hospitals was being established across the province — a programme that this month has also included a new cardiology hospital with a heart-transplant centre and expanded dengue surveillance. Patients with mental illnesses in Punjab were being provided with medical facilities, he said, with counselling playing a vital role.
The minister said society needed greater awareness about the rehabilitation of people with mental illnesses and that the community should dedicate its energies to that effort. A person with a mental illness requires more attention than an ordinary individual, he said, adding that such individuals were not “disabled” but “differently-abled”.
KEMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mahmood Ayaz thanked the minister for attending and said the gathering would prove important for the rehabilitation of patients with mental illnesses, adding that holding the meeting at an institution such as King Edward demonstrated that the consultation of medical experts and stakeholders was being prioritised in policy-making. Organisers described the joint initiative by government and international organisations as a significant milestone for mental health in Pakistan. No budget allocation, staffing target or implementation timeline for the framework was announced at the consultation.
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