Mental health commitments

The Islamabad Declaration commits the country to better coordination, sustainable financing, community-based care and, importantly, accountable implementation.

These are sensible commitments.

Their value, however, will depend on what happens after the conference halls have emptied.The next 12 months must establish who will deliver services, how they will be financed and how progress will be measured.

For millions currently outside the mental-health system, implementation is not the final stage of the policy.

It is the part that matters most.