Guardian Life Insurance has launched a daily mental-health support service that allows people to call its contact centre and speak about stress, anxiety and other personal concerns with counsellors linked to Kaan Pete Roi and The Purpleline.
The service, called Healing Call, is available from 3:00pm to 3:00am every day through Guardian’s call centre at 16622. Callers need to press 8 to access the service, the insurer said in a statement on Saturday.
Guardian said the initiative is intended to give people a confidential, judgement-free space to talk when they may not feel comfortable seeking support from family, friends or others around them.
The service comes against a large unmet mental-health need in Bangladesh. Guardian cited National Institute of Mental Health data showing around 30 million people in the country suffer from some form of mental-health condition.
Social stigma and fear of criticism often discourage people from discussing their difficulties or seeking help, the company said.
Under Healing Call, callers can talk about mental stress, worries, anxiety and other personal concerns with mental-health professionals from Kaan Pete Roi and The Purpleline, according to Guardian.
Kaan Pete Roi is an established emotional-support and suicide-prevention helpline in Bangladesh. Its own service is built around confidential and non-judgemental listening for people experiencing distress.
Guardian said it is using its existing call centre, app and website to make mental-health support easier to access alongside its core insurance business.
The company plans to expand the initiative by working with more organisations and professionals in mental health, building on its collaboration with Kaan Pete Roi and The Purpleline.
Guardian said the longer-term aim is to create a more integrated support platform that can widen access to mental-health assistance.
