ISLAMABAD – More than 32 million people in Pakistan are suffering from mental health disorders, while the country has only 1,050 registered psychiatrists to cater to their treatment needs, the figures presented by the Ministry of Health in the National Assembly unveiled.
Data from the Global Burden of Disease study, submitted by the ministry, showed that the number of people affected by mental health conditions had reached 32.04 million, highlighting the growing challenge of providing adequate mental healthcare across the country.
The ministry disclosed that Islamabad alone had approximately 300,000 people suffering from mental health disorders as of 2023.
Despite the large number of patients, the availability of qualified mental health professionals remains limited. Pakistan has approximately one registered psychiatrist for every 245,400 people, according to the figures presented before the lower house of parliament.
A provincial breakdown showed that Punjab has the highest number of registered psychiatrists at 406, followed by Sindh with 228 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 122.
Balochistan has only 44 registered psychiatrists, while the ministry’s figures did not provide a separate breakdown for Islamabad and other territories.
The information highlights the disparity between the country’s mental healthcare requirements and the number of available specialists, particularly in areas with limited access to medical facilities.
Separately, the Ministry of Health also shared statistics on HIV/AIDS patients, reporting 3,900 registered cases across Pakistan.
Sindh accounted for the largest share, with 1,915 registered patients, followed by Punjab with 1,765 cases.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 139 patients, while Balochistan had 46 and Islamabad 30. Azad Jammu and Kashmir recorded four cases, whereas Gilgit-Baltistan reported one.
The figures were submitted to the National Assembly as part of the ministry’s response to parliamentary questions, providing an overview of the country’s mental health burden, availability of psychiatric specialists and reported HIV/AIDS cases.
