When the world will be observing the 24th World Mental Health Day today, the lone specialised hospital for mental diseases in the country, is limping amid serious shortage of doctors and other staff.

The World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated for global mental health education, advocacy and awareness,will be observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the world, aiming to raise public awareness regarding mental health issues. The daywas first observed in 1992.

Surprisingly, only eight doctors against 30 posts, including three top hospital executives, are working at the 500-bed Pabna Mental Hospital (PMH) for the last one year. Hospital sources said there are 350 working

staff against492 posts.

With only five working doctors, the hospital is facing immense difficulties for treating nearly 400 admitted patients and about 100 to 120 outdoor patients.

PMH Director DrTonmoy Prakash Bishwas said despite repeated pleas to the ministry concerned for appointing doctors to the vacant posts, no step has been taken yet.

The hospital authority could not provide specialised treatment to its all patient as there is no clinical psychiatrist, dental surgeon, anaesthetist, resident psychiatrist in the hospital for long, he added.

As it is not possible for only five doctors to provide treatment to both admitted and outdoor patients, the hospital authorities sometimes have

to hire doctors from Pabna Medical College Hospital.

Besides, shortage of specialised nurses and other staff also hampers proper medical services.

Established in 1957, the hospital first started functioning with 200-bed facilities. Later another 50-bed was added in the early 80's.

In the year 2000, the 250-bed hospital was upgraded to 500-bed. But proportionately the posts for specialised doctors and other employees were not added for over a decade, Dr Bishwas further said.

Despite increasing the seat capacity, the allotted posts for the doctors and staff, which was 30 and 492 respectively for the 250-bed hospital, remained the same, he added.