Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain announced that the government is expanding mental healthcare services in remote and hard-to-reach areas through telemedicine platforms. This initiative allows individuals to receive consultations from specialist psychiatrists, addressing the critical need for mental health support in underserved regions.
Integration into Primary Healthcare
The minister highlighted that the government is implementing various programs to integrate mental healthcare into primary healthcare services across the country. This approach aims to ensure that mental health support is accessible at the grassroots level, improving overall healthcare delivery.
Global and National Context
Quoting recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Sakhawat Husain noted that mental disorders are rapidly emerging as one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Depression and anxiety-related disorders, in particular, have become major contributors to long-term disability and reduced productivity.
In Bangladesh, the National Mental Health Survey 2018-19 revealed that around 16.8 percent of adults and 12.6 percent of children and adolescents suffer from some form of mental health disorder. However, more than 92 percent of those affected do not receive any treatment.
Addressing the Shortage of Mental Health Workers
Sakhawat Husain pointed out that mental health services in Bangladesh remain inadequate compared to the country’s population. Currently, there are only 1.17 mental health workers per 100,000 population, with around 350 registered psychiatrists in the public sector.
To address this shortage, the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital in Dhaka and the Pabna Mental Hospital are being operated as the country’s two principal specialized mental healthcare institutions.
Legislation and Strategic Plans
The minister mentioned that the government has enacted the Mental Health Act, 2018, and is implementing the National Mental Health Strategic Plan and Action Plan (2020-2030) to strengthen the institutional framework for mental healthcare.
A proposal to create a separate director’s post for mental health programs under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is also under process.
Training and Suicide Prevention Programs
Under the WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), doctors, nurses, and other primary healthcare providers are being trained through the DGHS to improve mental healthcare delivery. This training program is currently underway in 10 districts.
Additionally, the DGHS, in collaboration with the WHO and the National Institute of Mental Health, is implementing suicide prevention programs in Jashore, Jhenaidah, Sylhet, and Chapainawabganj districts.
WHO’s Special Initiative for Mental Health
Bangladesh is one of the nine countries selected under the WHO’s Special Initiative for Mental Health. Through this initiative, the government is integrating mental healthcare into primary healthcare services to ensure quality mental health support reaches people at the grassroots level.
