Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Health Affairs Dr Ziauddin Hyder said today that the government is set to introduce mental health screening into the country's healthcare system for the first time.
He said the government aims to transform the country's healthcare system from a treatment-centred model to a preventive one. As part of this initiative, Primary Health Care Units will be established in every union and ward across the country, while the recruitment process for 100,000 health workers is currently underway.
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These health workers will visit every household once every two months to check blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and will also conduct mental health screenings. The government is also planning to train doctors at the upazila level in mental healthcare so they can identify mental health problems at an early stage.
Dr Hyder made the remarks while addressing a day-long workshop titled "Mental Health First Aid" as the chief guest on Saturday at the seminar room of the Department of Pharmacy at Dhaka University. The workshop was organised by the GRIT Foundation.
Speaking at the event, Dr Hyder said the true extent of mental health problems in Bangladesh remains largely unknown. Although surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 highlighted the country's alarming mental health situation, social stigma surrounding mental illness continues to persist.
"Being depressed or frustrated does not mean someone is mentally unstable. It is a common health condition, and we can overcome this challenge through collective efforts and by changing society's mindset," he said.
He also expressed concern over the state of the country's education and healthcare systems, arguing that excessive academic pressure, uncertainty about the future, and increasing social isolation are worsening mental health problems among students. According to him, weakening family and social bonds in modern society have led to greater loneliness, which has become one of the major contributors to mental health issues.
Highlighting the importance of sports and cultural activities in children's mental development, Dr Hyder said the government is planning to make sports a compulsory subject from Grade Three to create a more enjoyable learning environment. He added that greater emphasis will also be placed on involving children in music, cultural programmes, and other creative activities.
Speaking as the chair of the programme, GRIT Foundation Chairperson and Member of Parliament Mahmuda Habiba said Bangladesh has fewer than 400 trained psychiatrists for a population of nearly 200 million, meaning there is only one psychiatrist for roughly every 700,000 people.
She noted that producing a new specialist takes between five and seven years. Therefore, she stressed the need for six-month to one-year short-term training programmes to develop skilled personnel capable of providing primary mental healthcare services.