World Health Day observed
Countrys 4.6pc people suffer from depression
BSS
In Bangladesh, 4.6 percent of the people, both male and female, are suffering from depression meaning 73.60 lakh out of 16 crore are living with depression in the country, reports BSS. In the country, 16.1 percent of the adult population (aged 18 year or older) are suffering from some sort of mental disorders and require immediate care, health experts told a function in the Osmani Memorial auditorium in the capital yesterday. The function was held on the occasion of the World Health Day, which is being observed yesterday in the country as elsewhere in the world.
The theme of this years World Health Day is Depression: lets talk. Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim addressed the function as the chief guest with Health Secretary Md Sirajul Islam in the chair. President of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Dr Md Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Director General of Directorate General of Health services Prof Abul Kalam Azad and WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr N Paranjetharan, among others, addressed the function. Prof Mohit Kamal of National Mental Health Institute of Bangladesh presented the keynote paper at the function.
Nasim said a remarkable progress has been made in the health sector in the past eight years as the government is committed to reach healthcare services to doorsteps of the common people.
We have recruited 10,000 nurses last year to ensure better healthcare services in the country. This large scale of nurse recruitment is a millstone initiative in the history of health sector, he added.
Nasim called upon the nurses to serve patients as their family members for upholding professional commitment. You (nurses) will take care of patients in the hospitals considering them as your parents, brother or sister. You should devote in the profession with utmost sincerity, he added.
Depression is one kinds of mental disorder, the minister said adding, We have to be careful about depressed youths as many of them are involved with militancy.
Parents and other family members should extend their support to their depressed youths to overcome this mental disorder. Prof Mohit Kamal said, Nearly 30 crore people across the world are suffering from depression. One in 25 people is living with depression in the world.
The number of people with depression has increased more than 18 percent from 2005 to 2015, he said citing a report of WHO. Speakers said depressed people need cooperation of all alongside medical treatment to get back to normal life. there are many factors including prolonged diseases, unemployment, economic losses and deteriorating family relations and drug addiction cause depression.
