PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has appointed 32 psychologists to as many district headquarters hospitals in the province, saying the initiative will ensure timely diagnosis and management of the people living with mental health conditions.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has borne a disproportionate burden of trauma due to decades of conflict, militancy and disasters like floods and displacement. The province has the highest rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety in the country, so we’ve recruited psychologists at district level, for the first time, for timely disease investigation and management,” project director of the Revamping of non-teaching District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospitals project Dr Shahzad Faisal told Dawn.

According to him, an estimated 25-34pc population in conflict-hit districts suffer from some form of mental health condition but majority stay undiagnosed, getting no treatment and no support as primary and secondary health facilities lack the structured capacity to identify or manage these cases, leading to dangerous delays and over-reliance on tertiary care.

“As per plan, we are setting up mental health desks at DHQ hospitals to serve as a structured entry point for routine screening of patients in addition to providing them safe, confidential space, especially for women and youth, to seek help without stigma,” he said.

Official says initiative to ensure timely diagnosis, management of people with mental disorders

Dr Faisal said those desks would act as a referral hub linking community health workers, basic health units and tertiary facilities besides generating district-level epidemiological data to guide future policy and resource allocation for mental health issues.

He said the induction training took place under supervision of leading professor of psychiatry Prof Mian Mukhtarul Haq and it was decided to establish structured documentation of patients and mechanisms for electronic consultation and patient referral modalities.

The official said that health department launched the project at the cost Rs32 billion in December 2020 under which equipment, including latest anesthesia machines worth Rs2.55 billion, had been provided to 32 DHQ hospitals to enable that surgical procedures are done and facilitate patients at local level and lessen burden on tertiary care hospitals.

He said the health minister, secretary and other high-officials were taking immense interest to revamp district health services.

Dr Faisal said that the project had several goals including revamping infrastructure, ensuring availability of latest diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to strengthen elective and emergency services.

He said the DHQ hospitals were getting ventilators, digital x-rays, Doppler ultrasounds echocardiography, incubators and other nursery equipment, defibrillators, mobile X-rays, lab equipment along with reagent, tables and lights for operating theatres, crash carts and other surgical instruments.

“As DHQ hospitals caterto millions of patients, we are strengthening human resources through recruitment of emergency technicians, specialists and information technology support staff,” he said.

The official said doctors, nurses and technicians working at DHQ hospitals were being trained at the Postgraduate Medical Institute and other institutes and that over 150 medics had already been trained.

He said the infrastructure component of the project was earlier assigned to the infrastructure development authority of Punjab but in 2024, the KP cabinet cancelled that agreement with mutual consent.

“Now, the project has been assigned to the communication and works department which has hired Nespak as a consultant firm for carrying it out,” he said.

Dr Faisal said the project ending in 2028 would result in strengthened healthcare services at DHQ level that would benefit the people in their native areas.

He added that at the same time, the tertiary care health facilities would witness reduction of patient flow from districts and would focus on those requiring highly specialised services.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2026