Ministry Report: 3.2 Crore Patients, Only 470 Psychiatrists For 25 Crore

ISLAMABAD : In a damning indictment of Pakistan’s health system, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination’s official report based on Global Burden of Disease Studies, presented in the National Assembly, has revealed that 3 crore 20 lakh 40 thousand Pakistanis are suffering from mental health disorders requiring care for a population of 25.52 crore, while the country has only 470 active psychiatrists in the field – a ratio of one doctor for every 542,553 people.

The Ministry report, which forms the backbone of Pakistan’s new National Mental Health Policy 2026-35 launched at the Global Mental Health Summit on October 1-2, 2026 in Islamabad, further reveals that Islamabad alone has 3 lakh mental patients while the entire country has just 1,050 registered psychiatrists (470 active) – Punjab 406, Sindh 228, KP 122, Balochistan 44 – leaving a 95% treatment gap.

According to the Ministry’s data, the number of patients increased by 24 lakh in just four years from 2019 to 2023, with 1.14 crore suffering from anxiety, 1.01 crore from depression and 36 lakh completely mentally disabled. The Ministry has officially admitted that less than 0.5% of total health budget is spent on mental health and the suicide rate stands at 10 per 100,000 annually, though actual numbers could be much higher.

While the Ministry quotes 1,050 registered figure, its own referenced national study – Pakistan’s first nationally representative mental health survey published in BMJ Public Health in September 2026 after interviewing 17,773 adults from 2019-2022 – estimates active doctors at approximately 470 psychiatrists, equivalent to 0.19 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, with specialists concentrated largely in urban centres.

This fact-check, endorsed by the Ministry’s summit, shows that even if 1,050 figure is taken, the ratio is one doctor for 242,857 people against WHO standard of 1 per 10,000, meaning Pakistan needs 25,500 psychiatrists and currently has only 1.8% of required strength.

*Official Quotes:*

Minister of State for Health Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, quoting his own Ministry report at the summit said, “Around 32 million people in Pakistan need mental health care, while the mental health treatment gap is almost 95%. This is not just statistics, but a matter connected to the lives of millions.”

He further added, “This summit is not the end but the beginning of a practical national journey for mental health in Pakistan. It is time to convert policy and promises into practical actions.”

The Islamabad Declaration adopted after the Ministry report states, “Mental health is not an issue of one country or one institution, but a shared issue and shared responsibility of the entire global community. Pakistan is ready to convert its National Mental Health Policy framework into measurable results.”

*Stakeholders Backing Ministry Report:*

The BMJ survey backing Ministry data reveals, “Weighted prevalence 32.28%, lifetime 37.91% – One in three adults currently suffers from diagnosable disorder.”

Senior psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Afridi on Ministry’s 470 figure said, “Pakistan has only about 700 psychiatrists counting junior and senior together, many districts have no psychiatrist at all. WHO data shows 0.19 per 100,000, roughly 470 total.”

Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Zafar of Mayo Hospital on Ministry’s gap said, “Doctor-to-patient ratio worsening. 400-450 psychiatrists across Pakistan, fewer than 200 in Punjab.”

If Ministry’s own report of 3.2 crore patients and 470 doctors is taken with World Bank population of 255,219,554 in 2025 (260 million by Oct 2026), Pakistan faces a 99% human resource gap. By 2030, without emergency production of 25,000 specialists, the crisis flagged by Ministry will become national security issue.