MHPSS_PK

The Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI) recognises that prioritizing mental health and well-being in national policies is a critical step toward aligning with the objectives of SDGs. To achieve this, the strategic initiative of the 5Es Framework envisions MHPSS as a key area and is now recognized as part of the agenda to achieve optimum socio-economic development. It is aligned with the government’s Uraan's objective to build an equitable and inclusive society by directly supporting its emphasis on Equity, Ethics, and Empowerment. The MoPDSI has set up a Mental Health Strategic Planning & Coordination Unit (MHSPCU) to act as the secretariat for a national steering and coordination mechanism to provide stewardship for institutionalizing MHPSS services. The MHSPCU also aims to provide technical support for implementation of MHPSS services in the federal and provincial areas. This support is based on the work that has been done since 2021 to develop a comprehensive digital MHPSS service model to address the critical gaps in existing mental healthcare and scale up MHPSS services across the country. The MHSPCU is currently developing implementation plans for piloting the MHPSS model in ICT, KP and Baluchistan. The evidence-driven and multi-layered MHPSS model is scalable and is designed to help build the capacity of a mental health workforce; supervise them to offer mental health and psychosocial support interventions at four tiers; establish a referral mechanism (between community, primary care, and specialist services); and collect vital information on the digital portal to address the data gap.