As part of Pakistan’s official health engagement mission to the United States, Honorable Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Government of Pakistan, held a strategic meeting with Professor Geoffrey M. Reed, PhD, Director, Columbia–World Health Organization (WHO) Center for Global Mental Health and Professor of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, to advance collaboration on population mental health measurement, evidence-informed policymaking, and strengthening mental health systems in Pakistan.
The Pakistani delegation included:
* Dr Syed Usman Hamdani, Founding Director of Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD) at Shifa Tameer e Millat University
* Dr Malik Muhammad Safi, Technical Advisor, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.
The meeting focused on development of a national mental health data dashboard for Pakistan, informed by the WHO Flexible Interview for ICD-11 (FLII-11) and its integration into Pakistan’s evolving health information architecture.
Participants emphasized that population-representative mental health data are essential to guide national policy, monitor inequalities, strengthen service planning, support implementation, and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage for Mental Health.
The discussion reviewed the development and key features of FLII-11, a fully structured diagnostic interview being developed for epidemiological, population-based, and clinical assessment of mental disorders aligned with ICD-11 diagnostic concepts.
Participants discussed the relevance of FLII-11 to Pakistan because of its ability to:
* Generate nationally representative mental health estimates;
* Strengthen psychiatric epidemiology and surveillance;
* Support ICD-11 implementation;
* Assess unmet mental healthcare needs;
* Strengthen monitoring of service utilization and outcomes; and
* Inform policy and investment decisions.
A major area of discussion focused on the Climate Impact Module within FLII-11 and its strategic relevance for Pakistan’s climate and mental health agenda. Participants discussed how population-level mental health data can help Pakistan better understand the impact of climate-related exposures on wellbeing, identify vulnerable populations, and generate evidence to inform policy and practice. The discussion highlighted opportunities to strengthen integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) within climate adaptation, emergency preparedness, and humanitarian response systems for climate-affected populations in Pakistan.
The meeting also highlighted the ongoing collaboration led by Dr Syed Usman Hamdani at the Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD) to support translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of FLII-11 for use in Pakistan and explore pathways for integration into national mental health surveillance systems.
Participants agreed to advance development of a national mental health data dashboard informed by FLII-11 to support evidence-informed policymaking, strengthen population mental health monitoring, and establish an open and scalable platform that could contribute to future global psychiatric epidemiology and mental health systems strengthening.
The Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening evidence-informed policymaking and emphasized that robust data systems will be essential to support implementation of Pakistan’s forthcoming National Mental Health Policy, development of the National Hub of Excellence for Mental Health, and advancement of climate-resilient mental health systems.
Acknowledging Professor Reed’s distinguished contribution to global mental health and his leadership in strengthening evidence-informed approaches to mental health policy and measurement, the Honorable Minister formally invited Professor Geoffrey M. Reed to join World Mental Health Day 2026 in Islamabad on 1–2 October 2026, which will bring together global leaders and partners under the theme:
“Building Climate-Resilient and Future-Ready Mental Health Systems for Children and Young People.”
Professor Reed welcomed and accepted the invitation and expressed interest in continued engagement with Pakistan’s emerging agenda on population mental health measurement, policy innovation, and global collaboration.
The meeting concluded with agreement to continue technical discussions and develop a roadmap for adaptation, validation, implementation, and policy translation of FLII-11 and population mental health data systems in Pakistan, with the ambition of creating scalable approaches that inform both national priorities and global learning.
