Now a days Mental health is vital to public health; mental wellbeing is profoundly important to quality of life and the capacity to cope with life’s ups and downs. It is protective against physical illness, social inequalities and unhealthy lifestyles. Low -income population residing in slums and squatters are living in an inhuman environment lacking basic amenities and health care facilities including mental healthcare services are more vulnerable. So, this project is important to support community people lacking mental healthcare services to improve their quality of life.
Goal
Members of Low-Income Communities with Mental Disorders are availing proper treatment including free prescription, medications and counselling.
Purpose
Ensuring Mental Health & Psychosocial Support for Low Income Communities Especially Slum dwellers across Dhaka City by providing proper prescriptions, medications at outdoor cost of Govt. Hospital.
What will be achieved after this project
In the context of improving access to care and service quality, WHO recommends the development of comprehensive community-based mental health and social care services; the integration of mental health care and treatment into general hospitals and primary care; continuity of care between different providers and levels of the health system; effective collaboration between formal and informal care providers; and the promotion of self-care, for instance, through the use of electronic and mobile health technologies. Through this project we can strengthen effective leadership and governance for mental health, develop comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings; implement strategies for promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health disorders and also help with the strengthen information systems, evidence and research for mental health.
From the perspective of the individual with mental illness, recovery of mental patients could be achieved. Mental health is the integral part of whole health system. Recovery means gaining and retaining hope, understanding of one’s abilities and disabilities, engagement in an active life, personal autonomy, social identity, meaning and purpose in life and a positive sense of self identity. Recovery is not synonymous with cure. Recovery refers to both internal conditions experienced by persons who describe themselves as being in recovery – hope, healing, empowerment and connection and external conditions that facilitate recovery – implementation of human rights, a positive culture of healing, and recovery-oriented services
Project Activities
- Provide mental health care towards slum dwellers, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological
- Advocacy and awareness development program at slum regarding mental health issue by the initiatives of CBOs.
- Select volunteers from communities and train them on mental health promotion
- Estimation of mental health conditions among slum dwellers
Implementation of Project Activities
After signing the MoU between two parties (NIMH& DSK) Dushtha Shasthya Kendra will select locations in different Low-Income Communities (LIC) across Dhaka City to provide mental health services through volunteers. DSK will organize meeting with CBOs and select group of volunteers to mobilize the community. A team of Volunteers shall be organized. Volunteers shall be selected from within the community and be trained, who will communicate, publicize, identify and select patients through door-to-door visit. Volunteers will motivate selected patients inviting them to attend pre-selected health proving place and CBO will provide space for delivering services and monitor the project activities at community level. Psychiatrists, other Doctors, Nurses, and Counselors shall be arranged by National Institute of Mental Health who will attend the patients, provide prescriptions, free medicines and counselling. Suspected severely affected mental patients will be referred to NIMH for further evaluation and management.
