Bangladesh intensifies mental health awareness campaign

The Maternal and Child Health Division (MCHD) of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh has developed a web-based online platform to provide virtual mental health counselling services to both healthcare providers and COVID-19 patients. This counselling service is currently operational in 16 districts of the country. This initiative has been funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with technical support from the Clinical and Counselling Psychology Department, the University of Dhaka under the leadership of the NonCommunicable Diseases Centre (NCDC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The field staff distributed education and awareness materials in the selected hospitals of the 16 districts, which included 360 copies of NCDC developed guidebook on mental health and COVID-19, 1,600 posters and 20,000 leaflets. These materials have significantly increased mental health awareness among hospital patients, healthcare workers, attendants, and the general people.