STAFF REPORT
KARACHI: The Government of Sindh has once again taken the lead in championing public mental health with the launch of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Pakistan (IAPT-PK) — a pilot test of transformative mental health service delivery model aimed at tackling the province’s growing mental health needs. A tripartite agreement was signed between the Department of Health, Government of Sindh, the Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning (PILL), and PPHI Sindh to operationalize the pilot phase of IAPT-PK across three demonstration sites in Sukkur, Larkana, and Kamber Shahdadkot.
This collaboration is spearheaded by Provincial Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho. Inspired by the UK’s globally renowned IAPT program and supported by international mental health experts, including Professor Nusrat Husain from the University of Manchester, fostering a strong academic and research partnership across countries. This initiative marks a monumental step towards integrating evidence-based psychological therapies into primary and community healthcare in Sindh, Pakistan.
“This initiative addresses a wide range of mental health needs, from depression and anxiety to complex conditions like psychosis and bipolar disorder — using locally gathered evidence and global expertise,” said Dr. Azra Pechuho.
IAPT-PK will deliver talking therapies for depression, anxiety, psychosis spectrum disorders (informed by CIHR-funded projects on psychosis and bipolar disorders), and mental health challenges linked to unintentional injuries such as BURNS (NIHR203082). It will also tackle mental health concerns associated with multimorbidity, including cardiovascular diseases (NIHR205540), breast cancer (NIHR205561), and tobacco-related multiple long-term conditions (NIHR205601). Maternal and paternal depression will be addressed by GCC-funded LTP+ projects (R-TTS-2106-39652), alongside suicide and self-harm prevention for both adults and adolescents, guided by MRC-funded CMAP (N006062/1), YCMAP (R022461/1), and SEPAK. The IAPT pilot program will initially deliver evidence-based talking therapies for a wide range of mental health conditions. These include depression and anxiety; psychosis spectrum disorders, informed by CIHR-funded projects on psychosis, bipolar disorders, and The program extends to substance misuse, the mental health needs of flood-affected communities, and care for gender, ethnic, and religious minority groups. IAPT-PK will adapt a life course approach, it will cover mental health from preconception to older adulthood, supported by evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and contextually relevant interventions.
Key components include increasing access to talking therapies, training high- and low-intensity therapists, integrating mental health professionals into community healthcare teams, piloting digital services for underserved areas, and building sustainable capacity for mental health research, teaching, and quality improvement. With this initiative, Sindh reaffirms its leadership role in health innovation, once again setting national precedence in making mental health services accessible, evidence-based, and inclusive for all segments of society.
The signing ceremony was attended by honorable health minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Secretary Health Mr. Rehan Iqbal Baloch, Professor Nasim Chaudhry (CEO, PILL), Professor Imran Bashir Chaudhry, Mr. Javed Ali Jagirani (CEO, PPHI Sindh), and senior officials, marking a major milestone for public mental health in Sindh.
