Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Monday said more than 92 per cent 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 (Cumilla-9) in Parliament.
He said the National Mental Health Survey 2018-19 found that around 16.8 per cent of adults and 12.6 per cent of children and adolescents in Bangladesh suffer from some form of mental health problem.
However, more than 92 per cent of them do not receive any kind of treatment, the minister said citing the survey report.
The parliamentary sitting, chaired by Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal, began with the question-answer session.
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.”
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.
