Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain yesterday said more than 92% of people suffering from mental health conditions in Bangladesh do not receive any form of treatment.
“Mental disorders are rapidly emerging as one of the leading causes of disability worldwide,” the minister said while replying to a question from ruling party MP Md Abul Kalam (Comilla-9) in Parliament.
He said the National Mental Health Survey 2018-19 found that around 16.8% of adults and 12.6% of children and adolescents in Bangladesh suffer from some form of mental health problem.
However, more than 92% of them do not receive any kind of treatment, the minister said citing the survey report.
The minister said mental healthcare facilities remain inadequate compared to the country's population. “Bangladesh currently has only 1.17 mental health professionals per 100,000 people, while the number of registered psychiatrists in the public sector stands at around 350.”
Responding to another question from reserved seat MP Sabikun Nahar, the minister said there are 41,806 approved physician posts in government hospitals across the country, of which 9,407 remain vacant.
He said the approved number of nursing posts is 49,879, while 45,302 positions are currently vacant and the approved number of health worker posts is 65,230, with 18,947 vacancies.
Providing a breakdown of frontline health workers, the minister said 15,207 Family Welfare Assistants (FWAs) are currently serving against 23,500 approved posts, leaving 8,293 vacancies.
Among Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs), 3,200 are in service against 6,361 approved posts, with 1,161 vacancies, while 13,902 Community Health Care Providers (CHCPs) are working against 14,460 approved posts, leaving 540 vacancies.
He added that 13,956 Health Assistants are currently employed against 20,909 approved posts, leaving 6,953 positions vacant. The minister said the government plans to recruit 100,000 health workers at the earliest.
Replying to a separate question from MP Mizanur Rahman (Chapainawabganj-2), Sakhawat said the government is giving the highest priority to protecting the mental health of young people, particularly in addressing stress, depression and suicide.
Quoting data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the WHO, he said an estimated 1,000 to 1,400 people die by suicide every year in Bangladesh, with a significant proportion being young people and adolescents.
