World Mental Health Day: The grim reality of Pabna Mental Hospital

World Mental Health Day is observed on this day every year to raise awareness on mental health issues and support people with mental illness and ensure their rights.

This year, the day is being observed under the theme "Our minds, our rights".

Like elsewhere in the world, Bangladesh is also observing the day. But unfortunately, mental health facilities here are grossly insufficient and neglected.

The grim picture can be found if one visits the country's lone specialised hospital for mental patients, Pabna Mental Hospital.

The 500-bed hospital is struggling to provide adequate quality services to its patients due to several key challenges.

One of the biggest challenges facing the facility is a lack of sufficient staff.

Out of a total 31 posts, only 14 doctors are working at present while 17 positions have long been vacant .

The hospital is facing shortages of nurses and technical persons, including occupational therapists.

Shafquat Waheed, the director of the hospital, told The Daily Star, "This is a 500-bed specialised hospital, but we have no scope to give quality medical services to the patients due to a lack of doctors, nurses, and efficient manpower."

Furthermore, the hospital lacks essential equipment for advanced treatments, he said.

Meanwhile, even when such equipment is present, there is a lack of qualified personnel to operate them, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) machine, which remains unused for the last two decades.

The hospital also lacks research facilities, limiting the scope for advanced treatments, he said.

Besides, patients often need multiple admissions at the hospital due to lack of proper treatment.

A patient's family member from Radhanagar village in Pabna Sadar upazila said, "Due to the lack of proper medical services, patients do not recover fully. That's why we need to admit our patients several times."

Around 300 patients from different parts of the country receive services at the outdoor unit of the hospital daily and a good number of staff is needed to manage them, Waheed said.

Ahsan Habib Ahmed, the chief assistant officer of the hospital, said, "There are discussions at the health ministry about upgrading the facility to an 1100-bed hospital. While the project hasn't been officially approved yet, the project proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance via the PWD [Public Works Department]."

He also expressed hope that the project would receive approval next year, which would greatly improve their current conditions.

Human rights activist Kamal Ahmed Siddique said mental patients become victims of negligence at various levels.

Apart from the poor medical facilities, the patients mostly do not get support from society and even from families, which further hinders their recovery, he said.

"And when they go to the hospital, they are also deprived of proper quality treatment," Kamal added.

He called for a change in the society to ensure rights and proper treatment to the mentally ill persons.

It is urgent to improve health services and develop compassion within the society, he said.