President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday called for joint efforts by stakeholders including the federal and provincial governments, the community and health professionals to work for the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders. He said that it was a matter of serious concern that 24 percent of the country’s population was suffering from mental health-related issues, whereas only 500 to 600 mental health professionals were available in the country to cater to the needs of this population.

He emphasized the need for increasing the number of mental health professionals, besides strengthening the capacity of general health professionals by training them to address the challenge of rising mental health disorders.