Karachi: Around 10 million people in Pakistan, including an estimated 4 million children, are living with brain and nervous system disorders, yet the vast majority have little or no access to proper treatment and rehabilitation because specialised centres with trained doctors and modern facilities remain scarce, health experts said on Wednesday at the inauguration of a dedicated neurological and rehabilitation facility in Karachi.
The Karachi Institute of Neurological Diseases and Rehabilitation (KIND-R) was formally opened to provide treatment and long-term rehabilitation for patients with neurological, mental and neuropsychiatric conditions. The centre has begun offering free medical services to around 1,000 patients daily, with plans to establish a 150-bed inpatient ward in the next phase to allow continuous care and monitoring for patients who require admission.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, KIND-R chairman Prof Dr Mohammad Wasey said Pakistan carries one of the heaviest burdens of disability linked to brain and nervous system disorders, yet structured rehabilitation services remain limited to a handful of urban centres. He said nearly 40 percent of those affected are children, many of whom grow up with lifelong disabilities because timely treatment and rehabilitation are either unavailable or unaffordable for most families.
Dr Wasey said the 53,000-square-foot facility has been set up to fill a critical gap in the health system by bringing neurology, mental healthcare and rehabilitation services under one roof. “The objective is not only to treat disease but to help people who have become disabled regain function and dignity, and return to being productive members of society,” he said.
He said the institute is already operational and that work will soon begin on establishing a 150-bed residential inpatient ward for patients who need prolonged care and rehabilitation. In the longer term, he said, the project includes a 30-year plan to set up a dedicated medical college and university for rehabilitation sciences and to establish centralised rehabilitation centres across Pakistan’s 130 districts to expand access beyond major cities.
The ceremony was attended by Helping Hand USA chief executive officer Javed Siddiqui, Helping Hand’s Dr Mohsin Ansari, former Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan, KIND-R chief operating officer Prof Dr Abdul Malik, Dr Azhar Chughtai, Dr Saqib Ansari and Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town Nazim Dr Fouad Ahmed, along with patients, paramedical staff and representatives from different walks of life.
Javed Siddiqui described KIND-R as a flagship project of Helping Hand in Pakistan, saying the organisation aims to move beyond short-term charity towards building sustainable health institutions.
He said Helping Hand spends around Rs4.5 billion annually in Pakistan on health, education and social welfare initiatives, with an additional Rs5 billion set aside for flood response and other disaster relief. He appealed to the public and the media to support the centre so that free and subsidised services could continue for poor patients.
Siddiqui further said KIND-R offers neurology outpatient services, mental health specialists, advanced physiotherapy and rehabilitation equipment, robotic gait training, AI-based spinal decompression and comprehensive diagnostic facilities, allowing patients to receive treatment and rehabilitation under one roof.
Dr Mohsin Ansari said the Karachi centre is part of Helping Hand’s global humanitarian mission to make quality healthcare accessible to vulnerable populations. He said KIND-R is intended to serve not just as a hospital but as a symbol of hope and recovery for patients living with neurological and mental health disabilities.
He added that HHRD USA runs large-scale health, education, relief and welfare programmes in around 80 countries, and that the Karachi institute reflects this wider commitment to long-term human development.
Organisers said the launch of KIND-R reflects growing recognition of the scale of neurological and mental health needs in Pakistan, where limited specialist capacity and weak rehabilitation services leave millions without structured care. They expressed hope that the phased expansion of the institute and the planned network of district-level rehabilitation centres would begin to close this gap and help build a more inclusive rehabilitation system across the country.
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