Family members of patients with mental illnesses seeking treatment at Pabna Mental Hospital are being harassed by brokers outside who demand money to get them an appointment with a doctor inside or lure them to privately run so-called mental health clinics.
Long understaffed by doctors and facilities overstretched, services at the country's first specialised hospital for treatment of mental illnesses have further been diminished over the last few months due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Amidst the global pandemic fallout, World Mental Health Day 2020 is being observed today with the goal of increased investment in mental health programmes at the national and international levels.
The 500-bed public hospital is running with 350 general beds and 150 paying ones, said the hospital director, Dr ATM M Morshed.
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"Before, we would treat and release patients regularly and admit patients five days a week. Due to the pandemic, we have had to cut down indoor services in the hospital," he told The Daily Star.
Currently, new patients are only admitted every Monday and first taken to the isolation unit before being shifted to beds after one week to avoid the risk of Covid-19 spreading among existing patients, he said.
