Hasina calls for investment in mental health care to ensure universal coverage

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all to increase investment in mental health care considering it as a primary programme in order to ensure universal health coverage.

She made the appeal while speaking on “Sustainable Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Comprehensive Primary Health Care inclusive of Mental Health and Disabilities” at an event at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday.

She started by thanking Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Upendra Yadav, and others for attending the event.

She said Bangladesh was pursuing both the issues – mental health and disability – “seriously” in formulating health policies and programmes keeping in mind the Target 3.4 of SDGs on mental health and the WHO global action plan on disability.

“We often leave out mental health and disability while prioritising universal health coverage. We need access to medicines and affordable quality services through trained health personnel, and efficient delivery system. We also need special strategies to prevent mental disorders,” Hasina said.

The prime minister described Bangladesh’s actions like establishing Community Health Clinics for providing the citizens with universal health coverage, which is inclusive of preventive mental health services and basic care for people with disabilities.

“Recognising mental health as an integral part of primary health care has many advantages:

First, early diagnosis and intervention help early recovery.
“Secondly, in the case of co-morbidity or presence of two or more diseases in one individual, treatment of mental health helps the remission of the other disease.

“Thirdly, community clinics can also provide continuous follow-up care in case of any treatment prescribed by hospitals,” she said.
Bangladesh adopted the Persons with Disabilities’ Rights and Protection Act in 2013 and the Mental Health Act last year.

Now it is developing a ‘National Strategic Plan on Mental Health' giving priority to multi-stakeholder, comprehensive and holistic community-based mental health services, Hasina said.

“Today international communities will come forward sharing their valuable experience and help identifying technical and financial resources.
“I call everyone, all Member States and development partners, to invest resources in dealing with mental health and disabilities as part of primary health care programme.

“I believe that our distinguished panel will share their thoughts and experiences to the benefit of everyone,” she added.

National Advisory Council of Neurodevelopment Disorder and Autism of Bangladesh Chairperson Saima Wazed Hossain also delivered speech at the event.