PROVINCE REPORT
KARACHI: The Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning (PILL), a global mental health research organisation, and the Government of Balochistan have agreed to explore collaboration to improve access to mental health services across the province.
A meeting in this regard was held at Ramada Hotel, Karachi, attended by Provincial Minister for Health Bakht Muhammad Kakar and Secretary Health Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Panizai. The PILL delegation was led by Prof. Nusrat Hussain, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Research at the University of Manchester, UK. Dr. Zamir Hussain and Prof. Farhat Jafri, representing PILL’s senior management, also attended. Dr. Ababgar Baloch, Provincial Coordinator for the Balochistan Health Management Information System (BHMIS) and District Health Information System (DHIS-2), was also present.
During the meeting, Secretary Health Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Panizai highlighted the province’s achievements in public health, particularly improvements in routine immunisation through sustained efforts by the provincial government and its partners. He also shared that environmental surveillance samples had tested negative for poliovirus for the first time in the province, describing it as a significant milestone in the fight against polio.
Prof. Nusrat Hussain briefed the participants on PILL’s research and implementation initiatives in Pakistan, including suicide prevention, cardiac rehabilitation, mental health support for breast cancer survivors and the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT-PK) programme.
He explained that IAPT-PK offers affordable, evidence-based and culturally adapted talking therapies for people experiencing depression and anxiety through interventions such as Khushi and Khatun. He also shared the programme’s implementation experience in four Sindh districts: Sukkur, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot and Tando Allahyar.
The discussions focused on aligning the draft Balochistan Mental Health Policy with the National Mental Health Policy and exploring a proposed IAPT-PK pilot project in District Lasbela. Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar expressed support for the initiative.
As a next step, both sides will work towards developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a detailed proposal for the proposed Lasbela pilot, subject to mutual agreement and necessary government approvals.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening mental health services across Balochistan, recognising that there is no health without mental health.
