The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has ordered annual mental health screening for medical and dental students, as well as faculty and staff, to identify psychological distress and suicide risk at an early stage.
The initiative will cover around 22,500 medical and dental students across the country.
PMDC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj announced the measure while speaking at the Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit, where Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal also launched the National Mental Health Policy 2026-2035.
According to Prof. Taj, the screening is intended to identify people facing emotional distress or other mental health concerns and connect them with support before their condition becomes more serious.
The council has also made mental health an independent and compulsory subject in undergraduate medical and dental education.
PMDC has increased mental health teaching from 50 hours to 175 hours and plans to raise it further to 200 hours. The additional training is aimed at helping future doctors and dentists better recognise and respond to mental health conditions.
Medical and dental colleges have also been directed to establish primary mental health care centres. These facilities will provide initial support and referral services for students, faculty, staff and others who require assistance.
The announcement comes amid growing concerns over mental health in Pakistan. The country’s first nationally representative psychiatric survey found that 32.3% of adults had a diagnosable mental or behavioural disorder.
The same study reported that 6.2% of participants had experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviour during the previous month, while 1.1% said they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Afridi, professor emeritus of psychiatry and a co-author of the study, said the findings could help shape policymaking, workforce planning and the expansion of community-based mental health services.
The latest PMDC measures are expected to give greater attention to mental health within medical and dental education while creating dedicated channels for students and staff to seek support.
