Page 86 - IBT October 2020

clinician lead approach, it is very our own capacity building. Other issues to learned, what worked if at all, and catering to mental
disease oriented. The messages consider are quality, prices, availability the failures from our Covid-19 health?
people are getting is a mixture of and accessibility for all. In the longer run, approaches, and how we can work In Bangladesh there is little to no
messages from the internet, social we need to develop our own technological more efficiently across sectors and conversation around mental
media, television, and other capacities because this pandemic will not have better planning for the health. It’s stigmatized. We are
community members. It is important be the last one and we need to be future. Budget allocation needs to conducting a research with 72
to understand the lived experiences prepared. be increased substantially. It university students and all of
in order to have appropriate would be beneficial to have critical them shared experiencing anxiety
messaging as well as interventions. What kinds of changes and or review of some of the challenges and depression. Students shared
Fears around quarantine, stigma, the approaches are necessary to faced, from quality of PPE and its concerns about being able to keep
lack of trust on media and news and improve the health sector? distribution, lack of sufficient up with about online education
an already weakened health system Our health system, in general, is not equipment, shortage of bed/ICUs and worried about whether they
further reduces chances of reporting particularly strong, and it has taken a in hospitals, absence of will graduate, get a job, earn
and uptake of services. further battering as a result of Covid-19. contextualized communication money. The uncertainty is
Health is a culmination of personal, We also need to ensure that other health messaging, etc. This will allow us daunting. Our urban research in
emotional, mental, physical, social services are not completely disregarded, to understand what needs to be slums found that poor slum
and economic factors. Many of the due to the focus on Covid-19. We have a strengthened moving forward. The women were suffering from
poor grapple with all kinds of mix of public, private and NGO health national task force set up was sleeplessness, loss of appetite and
diseases and illnesses all the time. providers in the country. There also exists mainly clinician led. Public health spoke of heart palpitations. They
The middle and upper class on the a large informal sector of providers that is helpful for communities, but were extremely worried about the
livelihoods in Bangladesh. other hand have not faced this level the general communities/populations rely health is not just about disease. lockdown and about their income
Many segments of the Bangladesh of uncertainty. Unfortunately, upon. Strong partnerships and referrals We need to bring in and how they were going to pay
population are vulnerable, yet the vulnerable communities are more are important and innovative solutions are multidisciplinary voices and rent and purchase food.
Covid-19 response on individual familiar with diseases and death and required to address the workforce shortage opinions, from different However, in our country one
What do you think are the determinants of health, focusing on dying. Their lives are about basic within our context. However, the point is stakeholders and actors. There cannot discuss mental health
public health measures that individual behavior with limited survival. The pandemic just not necessarily about fixing the health needs to be an open approach openly. The everyday stress and
should be taken to combat the attention to the personal, magnified the existing inequalities sector, but about meeting basic needs of because the government cannot do anxieties which has been
impending second wave of socio-cultural, economic and and inequities that have always the most vulnerable. For example, in it alone. aggravated by Covid-19 needs to
COVID attacks during the structural factors is problematic. existed, and a purely clinical slums, access to clean water is not always Stimulus packages have been be shared. Mental and emotional
upcoming winter season? This approach prevents the most approach will not work. We need to a reality, and housing is congested and the initiated and rolled out. The other wellbeing is very important and
We have had a clinician-led approach, a marginalized from following address their needs comprehensively. environment is polluted. Communal issue is about understanding why we need to talk about it. We need
biomedical model of intervention to national recommendations/WHO The approach to dealing with such latrines and kitchens with poor sanitation some communities have been more to talk beyond clinical diagnosis.
affected than other communities
prevent and/or manage the coronavirus guidelines. Practicing social crises in our country is for diverse and overflowing sewage and garbage is a Generally normalizing emotional
pandemic. In the context of Covid-19, the distancing, washing of hands with stakeholders to come together and common sight during monsoon. So how and in what ways. What are some and mental wellbeing is to bring
of the needs and priorities? Some
lockdown model was imported from a soap, and staying at home are the government can reach out – does one achieve a healthy body and a this up in conversations in
different context, from western or possible for the better off, but is a NGOs, private sector and other healthy mind if there is a lack of basic of the communities are so schools, universities and in the
impoverished that they cannot
developed economies with stronger non-starter for a majority of the actors. Even if there is a vaccine in infrastructural support? Medicines, workplace. Unfortunately, mental
economic bases and better social safety urban poor with 6 to 11 members the future which is made available vaccines are not the magic bullet. We need follow prescribed guidelines, and health is equated with ‘madness’
many increasingly do not believe
nets for those in need. But for the future, crammed in one room within for all, for the most vulnerable to go back to the basics and ensure and the labels and language used
is there a better way forward for countries informal settlements, sharing groups there will continue to be job citizens’ rights are available. We need a in the dangers of the pandemic to discuss it are derogatory in
anymore and therefore for example
such as Bangladesh with far greater irregular water supply, communal and food insecurities; then what socially just model that addresses nature.
resource constraints? The first cases of latrines, and cooking spaces. exactly have we achieved? comprehensively the needs of vulnerable a reluctance to wear masks in Another challenge is that we don’t
public spaces. Our messaging
Covid-19 in Bangladesh were reported on Communication messaging needs to populations and only then can we address have enough counsellors or
8th March, 2020, and as of October 03 reflect the lived realities of differing What kind of policy, plans health and well-being and the SDGs. wasn’t always community-context support systems in the country to
messaging. As I said earlier, it is
2020, there were over 366,000 confirmed contexts. The costs of purchasing and strategies can the address this. There is a shortage
cases (WHO, 2020). To contain sufficient supply of soap and masks Bangladesh government A recent survey revealed, only important for more social science of clinical psychiatrists and
research to capture and
transmission, the state at the beginning is often an expense that the poorest devise regarding the five percent of the Upazila psychologists. There is shame
announced a series of “holidays” from cannot necessarily afford or import, production and Health and Family Planning understand the realities on the surrounding mental wellbeing,
ground related to Covid-19.
26th March, 2020 which led to the rationalize and this is not feasible distribution of vaccines? Officers (UH&FPOs) hold a and families object to members
closure of all public and private longer term, unless there are How can cooperation degree in public health. What In the public health sector accessing any form of counselling
educational institutions, offices, transport subsidies and provision of basic among the national can be done to improve the skill or clinical psychiatric care. I think
services, factories, retail shops and so necessities for the most vulnerable. commission and the and competency level of public there is little to no people would be happier and
forth (Dhaka Tribune, 10 April, 2020) and In terms of research, we need to current task force be health officials in Bangladesh? resources for mental healthier if they could share what
people were asked to strictly stay at have longitudinal social science strengthened to ensure If this is what the survey reveals, then health care especially in they are experiencing and often
home. Without the option to work from research, with a community efficient implementation of more training is required. This is a critical the rural areas, and there just being able to talk and share
home, the informal sector with over 50 centered approach, to understand the vaccine access and discussion we need to have, because is a lack of awareness and and get good counsel makes a
million workers (87% of the workforce) the impact of the virus on peoples’ distribution process? post-pandemic we have to strengthen our taboo surrounding the huge difference to one’s quality of
was crippled and the economic disruption lives, their current fears, concerns, If we go into partnership regarding health system. As we move forward, it is topic. How can the public life and state of emotional and
continues to threaten millions of practices and behavior. When it’s a vaccines, we should also prioritize important to reflect on the lessons health sector start mental well-being.

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