Bangladesh has only 465 psychiatrists for 40 million patients, roundtable told

Bangladesh has just 465 psychiatrists to serve an estimated 40 million people suffering from mental health problems, speakers said at a roundtable in Dhaka city on Thursday.

The discussion, held a day before World Mental Health Day 2025, urged immediate action to expand access to mental health care across the country.

The event, titled “Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” was organised by the Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB).

UTSA executive director Mostafa Kamal Jatra, also a teacher at the University of Chittagong, presented the keynote paper.

In his address, he said that Bangladesh’s frequent natural disasters have made mental health issues more widespread and long-lasting.

“Each year, five to six million people are affected by floods, cyclones, river erosion, landslides and other disasters,” Jatra said, adding that climate change is intensifying both their frequency and psychological toll.

“Women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to long-term mental distress,” he added.

Other speakers urged the government to fully implement the Mental Health Act 2018 and ensure services at union, upazila and district levels.

They also called for the establishment of psychosocial support centres in disaster shelters and the appointment of counsellors in schools, colleges and workplaces.

They recommended that the government should integrate mental health into the National Disaster Management Plan.

ADAB’s Executive Committee member Syeda Shamima Sultana, human rights activist Jesmin Sultana Paru, and Bangladesh Human Rights Journalists Forum member Nasreen Geeti also spoke.

More than 60 representatives from media, mental health organisations and development bodies attended the event.

President of ADAB’s Dhaka Metropolitan Unit Kazi Baby presided over the programme.

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