Ministry of Public Health Holds Public Awareness Session on Mental Health

The session was attended by Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services; Sheikh Mohammad Tahir Halim, Chief of Staff; the Ministry’s central directors; and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), implementing organizations, and the media.

Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani stated that efforts to improve mental health services had intensified and significant progress had been made in this area. He noted that mental health services had expanded, with specialized mental health facilities established in several provinces. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to further expanding these services, improving their quality, and ensuring greater public access to them.

Sheikh Mohammad Tahir Halim,spoke in detail about the importance of mental health from an Islamic perspective and emphasized the need to give it due attention. He also called on implementing organizations to strengthen their cooperation and support for the improvement and expansion of mental health services.

Dr. Ahmad Siyar Pasoon, Director General of Disease Control and Prevention of the MoPH, stated that mental health directly affects people’s lives and daily functioning. He emphasized that public awareness plays a vital role in promoting and protecting mental health.

Dr. Waheedullah Afghan, Head of Mental Health, described mental health as an integral part of overall health and emphasized that promoting and protecting mental health is a shared responsibility of individuals and institutions.

Representatives of the WHO and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Working Group (MHPSS WG) also stressed the importance of strengthening coordination and cooperation in the field of mental health. They reported that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, mental health services had been provided to more than one million people and healthcare workers had received training in this field.