Health & Food
Mental-health project plans 20-upazila pilot before wider expansion
The government plans to begin community mental-health services in about 20 upazilas, with an eventual ambition to reach 500. State Minister MA Muhit says the programme will build local support and a trained workforce. National expansion remains a stated objective, rather than completed service coverage.
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From 14 October 2026 — Daily Brief
The government plans to begin a community mental-health programme in about 20 upazilas before seeking to extend services across the country, State Minister for Health MA Muhit said on 13 October.
Speaking at a Bangla Academy seminar, Muhit described an ambition to reach 500 upazilas through accessible and affordable local services. He outlined a pilot lasting roughly a year to a year and a half, with lessons informing wider expansion.
The programme is intended to connect services at district and upazila levels with specialist institutions, including the National Institute of Mental Health in Dhaka and Pabna Mental Hospital.
Muhit said funding had been included in the national budget and identified a shortage of trained personnel as a barrier to local care.
He proposed two- to three-year vocational diploma courses to develop mental-health workers and psychosocial support staff willing to serve rural communities.
The minister also called for coordination across health, social-welfare and other ministries, together with work to reduce stigma and protect the rights of people with mental-health conditions.
The announcement sets out the programme’s starting scale and national ambition. It does not mean that all 500 upazilas already offer the new services.