In the National Assembly session on Thursday chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the alarming rise in mental illness in Pakistan was highlighted.
The Ministry of Health presented disturbing data revealing that over 80 million people in the country suffer from psychological problems.
The ministry's report emphasized that all major hospitals across Pakistan are equipped with psychiatric treatment facilities, and departments of mental health and psychiatry are active in 126 medical colleges. Despite these provisions, the scale of mental health issues remains a significant concern.
During the session, Rai Hasan Nawaz raised questions about the closure of health card services initiated during the previous PTI government. He suggested that political motivations might have influenced the suspension of these services, which were designed to facilitate public access to healthcare.
Federal Minister Jam Kamal addressed these concerns, stating that the government had not discontinued any services for political reasons. He explained that the health card services were suspended in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan due to irregularities discovered in the card processing system. Kamal assured that efforts are underway to restore the services, following a recent meeting with State Life Insurance.
