Islamabad: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination will host the Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026 at Serena Hotel, Islamabad, on 1 and 2 October.
The summit’s theme is “Building Climate Resilient and Future Ready Mental Health Systems for Children, Young People and Communities.”
Government representatives, health specialists, international organisations, young people and people with lived experience of mental health conditions are expected to attend.
The ministry says mental health care in Pakistan remains under resourced and concentrated in major cities. It estimates that 10 to 16 per cent of adults live with a mild or moderate psychiatric condition, while a further one to two per cent have a severe mental illness.
These are the ministry’s estimates, rather than findings from a new summit study.
The programme will cover child and adolescent mental health, suicide prevention, substance use, digital services and support for people affected by disasters.
The ministry is also developing a National Mental Health Policy for 2026 to 2035 with provincial and regional authorities. It expects the summit to identify priorities for bringing mental health care into primary health services, schools and disaster planning.
