He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Social Mental Health: A Stepping Stone to Inclusive Social Welfare” at the Bangla Academy on Tuesday (October 13), marking World Mental Health Day. Several social development organisations, including Anchol Foundation, the Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC) and LIDO, jointly organised the event.
The state minister said war and conflict, rapidly changing lifestyles, loneliness and excessive digital dependence were negatively affecting people's mental health, with adolescents and young people particularly vulnerable.
He stressed the need to move mental health services beyond major cities and specialised institutions and make them accessible at the local level.
According to Muhith, the project aims to establish direct links between services at the National Institute of Mental Health in Dhaka and the mental hospital in Pabna and healthcare facilities at the district and upazila levels. He urged universities and educational institutions to play a greater role in developing a skilled mental health workforce.
He said investment in infrastructure and expensive equipment alone would not be sufficient to improve mental healthcare without adequately trained professionals.
The state minister proposed introducing two- to three-year vocational diploma or technical courses to train personnel to provide counselling and mental health support at upazila and union levels. He also emphasised developing mid-level mental health workers under the framework of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA).
Muhith said effective mental healthcare would require coordinated efforts from the ministries of health, social welfare, women and children affairs, and law.
He also called for policy measures and greater public engagement to protect the human rights of people experiencing mental health conditions, ensure long-term rehabilitation and eliminate social stigma and negative perceptions surrounding mental illness.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Employment Saiyed Bin Abdullah and former Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Saidur Rahman, among others, also addressed the seminar.
