Occupational therapy mental health service development through supervised fieldwork in Bangladesh

AbstractBangladesh is a country of 156 million people where they spend only 6.17% of their annual expenditure on health care. Less than half a percent of that budget goes to mental health. Mental health in Bangladesh is largely neglected, unexplored, underserved and under-financed. With only 101 occupational therapists in the country, occupational therapy mental health services are being developed by occupational therapy lecturers and students of the Bangladesh Health Profession Institute (BHPI) through supervised fieldwork placement. Under supervision, students develop skills in service provision for people with mental illness and their families at the major mental health institutions in Dhaka. They also raise awareness of the role of occupational therapists in this important service