State Minister for Health
Mental health services to be made available to 500 upazilas
The State Minister for Health spoke at a seminar titled ‘Social Mental Health: A Stepping Stone to Inclusive Social Welfare,’ held at the Bangla Academy on Tuesday. Agamir Somoy.
The government has undertaken a new Community Mental Health Project to bring mental health services to the doorsteps of the country's marginalized people. State Minister for Health Dr. M A Muhit has said that although it initially started as a pilot in 20 upazilas, there are plans to spread this service to 500 upazilas of the country in phases.
He gave this information while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled "Social Mental Health: A Step Towards Inclusive Social Welfare" organized at Bangla Academy on Tuesday (October 13) noon on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.
At the seminar, State Minister for Health Dr. Muhit said, "Mental health has now become a major public health crisis all over the world. War and conflict, rapidly changing lifestyles, loneliness, and excessive digital addiction are creating deep damage to mental health."
"In the age of technology, although we may seem connected to each other on the surface, internally each of us is turning into an isolated 'island.' Especially teenagers and adolescents are the biggest victims of this," he added.
The junior minister emphasized, saying that protecting human dignity is a fundamental matter for any society and state. In the past, the context of humiliation of people's dignity and violation of rights gave birth to mass resistance like that of August 5. If human dignity is not maintained, an uncontrolled explosion can occur in society at any time, the recurrence of which the country no longer wants to see.
Emphasizing the coordination of ministries to make mental health services effective, the State Minister for Health said, "Mental health is not solely a matter of the Ministry of Health. It requires the direct involvement of the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and the Ministry of Law."
Alongside this, he called upon those concerned to build strong policy-making advocacy and community engagement to protect the human rights of people suffering from mental health problems, ensure long-term rehabilitation, and eliminate social superstition and stigma.
Among others who spoke at the event were Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Youth Employment Sayed Bin Abdullah, former Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Saidur Rahman, and others. The seminar was jointly organized by a number of social development organizations including Anchol Foundation, Human Rights Development Center (HRDC), and LEEDO.
