APARAJEO
Project Details
Base Care Foundation is registered as a nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom, and Base Care Foundation Bangladesh is registered as a charity organization with the Social Welfare Department of the government of Bangladesh. Since its inception, both foundations have been working to improve healthcare service delivery in rural Bangladesh for the last three years.
We started with a digitalized primary healthcare service to the rural people of Bangladesh. One of our noticeable ongoing projects is to develop awareness and conduct screening programs on Thalassemia for the mass of people, including university students. We are also providing reproductive healthcare services for the Readymade Garments Workers and working on extending similar services for the tea garden workers and workers of the leather industry.
All our current services run as charity and are made accessible to the community free of any service charge. As a timely addition to our service provision, we have initiated an integrated mental health service for the people of Bangladesh.
Under the service title ‘APARAJEO’, we will provide a digitalized, integrated mental health service for ‘Trauma Survivors’ suffering from the aftermath followed by diverse kinds of psychological trauma and exposure to different traumatic experiences like natural or industrial disasters, road traffic accidents, political unrest, legal proceedings, physical assault, adverse workplace, domestic violence, sexual offence etc. We will provide screening, awareness, advice and referral services on various dimensions of post-traumatic stress conditions like Anxiety, Depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Initially, the service recipients will be given a URL link or QR code to register for the service- ‘APARAJEYO’. Following registration, they will fill in 3 questionnaires on anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We are using questionnaires which are validated internationally and are being used widely around the globe.
On completion of the questionnaire, our AI-based software is going to use a special algorithm to analyze the scores of the questionnaires and it will be then reviewed by our panel of experts including psychiatrists, psychologists, and physicians. Based on the professional review the respondents will be provided with their initial outcome for screening along with specific advice and referrals.
We will also send links for video messages on the overview of symptoms and management of different psychological conditions and disorders including anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) appropriately customized based on the psychological condition of the individual service recipients. All the video messages are developed dedicatedly for our service recipients and by our panel of professional experts (psychologists, psychiatrists) working with an exemplary professional standard at the international level including the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
In the next phase, we will organize online group counselling sessions with our in-house local and international panel of psychologists and psychiatrists. As per our up-to-date knowledge, this is the first-ever venture in the world where an integrated mental health service will be provided simultaneously in multiple languages, in our case both in English and Bengali.
Assumably, this is also a breakthrough initiative in the field of psychiatric and psychological services of the world which provides such integration of different dimensions of mental health services including access to completely digitalized screening questionnaires, individually customized video materials for specific psychological conditions or disorders based on AI-based interpretation of the responses, and finally extended up to the level of online group counselling and referral advice.
On top of all, following the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), making healthcare accessible for all in a sustainable manner, the whole service is accessible by the people who are in the highest need of it, the people who are not seeking mental health services since to them this is not their cup of tea. We are delighted to bring a service of this kind for our people for whom psychological and psychiatric disorders are still a stigma, a matter to conceal, and suffer in the worst possible way by not seeking mental health services. We are sincerely thankful to all the members of the trustee board of the Base Care Foundation, a panel of psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, developers, volunteers, and admin staff who made this service a reality despite a long list of challenges and overcoming all the obstacles through their relentless dedication for the people of Bangladesh, specially the people who suffer silently but deeply due to their traumatic experiences.
Outline of the apps
‘APARAJEO’, a unique digital tool for mental health screening developed by Base Care Foundation UK. At this stage, you are invited to fill in multiple questionnaires related to your mental health.
These questionnaires will provide basic information on your psychological conditions like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on your responses, psychiatrists and psychologists will be able to assess your mental status. We will also share video messages developed by our panel of national and internationally renowned psychiatrists and psychologists. These informative videos will elaborate on the management of different psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Please choose either Bengali or English as your preferred language. Use your mobile number and date of birth for registration. One mobile number will allow registration by a single person. You will need this mobile number and your date of birth for further logging in into the app. Following registration, you need to fill in your personal details including your full name, national Identity card (NID) number, address and the name of your educational institution or workplace.
In next page, you will find multiple tabs related to different mental health conditions. Please choose a quiet and comfortable place and try to complete the questionnaires in a single sitting. The questionnaires are validated and widely used around the world.
Please bear in mind that these are screening tools, not diagnostic tools.
Project Team
Program Lead
Dr Ashfaq M Khan
MBBS, FRCOG
Chair, Board of Trustee, Base Care Foundation
Dr Khan is a doctor by profession. He graduated from Dhaka Medical College in 1996 and moved to The UK in 2000. He is a senior Consultant of Women’s Health with special interest in Cervical cancer prevention.
Ashfaq is the CEO and Medical Director of Harley Street Gynaecology, and the former Head of Lower Genital Tract Disease and Colposcopy unit of London based Whittington NHS Hospital. He is a Fellow of the Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG) and the Founding Chair of Bangladesh Liaison Group of the Royal college. He is also a director of Base care Foundation UK.
Associate Program Lead
Dr Diptee Khan, MD
Member, Board of Trustee, Base Care Foundation
Dr Khan is a doctor by profession with special interest in Women’s Health. She is a medical graduate from Kiev Medical University of Ukraine. Later on, Diptee worked in NHS England in women’s health for decades. She regularly organises and anchors TV health talk show in UK based TV channel ( Channel S) where she offers health advise to Bengali Speaking diasporas.
Diptee is a social activists and executive member of Bangladesh Medical Society UK . She was project supervisor for our community clinics in Bangladesh during first phase of BCF.
Director of Program Development
Dr Mohammad Asif Khan
MBBS (DMC), MBA (MIS), MPH,
MCPS (Psychiatry), MSc (Neuroimaging)
Dr Khan has been working in different academic, research, and administrative roles in the healthcare sector, youth mobilization, and volunteerism at national and international level. Among numerous involvements in voluntary and sociocultural organizations noticeable ones include Donor Club Secretary, SANDHANI, Dhaka Medical College; Director, Research and Skill Development, Bangladesh Medical Resource Centre; Member, SONAK (committee of concerned citizens), Chittagong Chapter of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB); Founding Advisor, Youth Ending Hunger, Chittagong Division (The Hunger Project); Student Auditor, Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS-UK), United Kingdom; Public Member, Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, UK and Member, Medact, UK – an organization that is the merger of the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (MCANW), and the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) and the UK affiliate of the 1985 Nobel Prize-winning organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).
Project Coordinator- Operations
Mr Rajib Rema, MA
Mr Reema joined us in 2022, to organise and support our community clinics . These clinics were based in two different parts of Rural Bangladesh. Almost every week he visited these villages and worked with local organisers and community care workers to run weekly clinics without interruptions .
Rajib belongs to a aboriginal tribe of Northern Bangladesh and a post Graduate of Shahjalal University of Science &Technology, Sylhet in Social Science.
Project Coordinator- Communication
Mr Md Halim Mamun, MA
Mr Mamun obtained MA in Bangla Literature from Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. He is experienced in organising different public awareness projects for UNICEF in Northern Bangladesh. He worked as programme director and developed many dramas for UNICEF and national radio of Bangladesh on public awareness issues.
Panel of Experts
Tarek Aziz
MD, MSPH, FAPA
Psychiatrist. Finished MBBS from Dhaka Medical College in 1996. Masters of Science in Public Health (MSPH) from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Completed Residency in Psychiatry at University of Mississippi Medical Center. A Fellow of American Psychiatry Association (FAPA)
Dr Deoman Gurung. MRCPsych
Dr Deoman Gurung, MBBS, Mrcpsych, Dual CCT Consultant in Psychiatrist (Old Age)-RC PGCert medical educational diploma Leadership and Management Fellow- RCPsych Medical Educational fellow- LSCFT
Section 12 Dr, AC approval Dr GMC registered Trainer-Clinical/Educational supervisor Central college Tutor-LSCFT Royal Blackburn Hospital, Hurstwood inpatient/Memory clinics (dementia expertise) Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr. Gurung’s Journey is a testament to the power of resilience. He encourages aspiring medical professionals to embrace the struggles and learn from every experience, no matter how unrelated it may
seem.
Sifat E Syed
MBBS, FCPS (Psychiatry)
Assistant Professor (Child Psychiatry)
Department of Psychiatry
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University(BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dr. Sifat E Syed is promising female psychiatrist of Bangladesh with special interest and experience in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She graduated from Dhaka Medical College in 2007 and completed Fellowship (FCPS) in Psychiatry in 2013. She received Fellowship of JSPN (Japanese Society for Psychiatry and Neurology) in 2015, Donald J Cohen fellowship from IACAPAP (International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions) in 2016, and Prof. Hidayetul Islam Gold medal in 2019 for her excellent contribution in the field of mental health. She is known for her excellent presentation skills and networking abilities. She presented scientific papers at more than 20 national and international conferences and conducted mental health awareness programs in many schools, colleges and institutions. Dr. Syed is an advisor from Bangladesh for CAMHSAN (Child and Adolescent Mental Health South Asian Network) and a master trainer of WHO mh-GAP program. She has more than 12 publications in scientific journals. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor (Child Psychiatry) in Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka. Dr. Syed is former treasurer of Bangladesh Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (BACAMH) and former Secretary of Scientific Affairs of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists (BAP).
Dr Tanzida Haque
MBBS, MRCPsych (UK), MScPH
Dr Tanzida graduated from Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, Bangladesh, and then moved to the UK. She completed MSc in Public Health after achieving Faculty of Health and Applied Science scholarship from University of the West of England, Bristol. Tanzida started working at the National Health Service, UK from 2018 and achieved the prestigious MRCPsych (Member of Royal College of Psychiatry) degree in 2023. She is currently working as a Specialist Registrar in General Adult Psychiatry under Health Education England, North-West Deneary.
Rahul Kothekar
BA, MA (Clinical and Counselling Psychology)
MSc in Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience
Rahul has a MA in clinical and counselling psychology, being trained at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, one of the country’s premier institutions. He has provided therapy to clients, addressing concerns such as mood and behavioural disorders, self-harm, and addiction. With experience in neuropsychological testing, he follows a biopsychosocial model and an eclectic therapeutic approach, tailoring interventions to individual needs. Beyond clinical work, he has an MSc in neuroimaging for neuroscience, with research experience in Alzheimer’s disease. In his free time, he enjoys reading and playing video games.
Dr. Arafat Azim
MBBS, MD (Psychiatry)
Dr. Arafat Azim is a distinguished Psychiatrist with extensive experience and advanced qualifications in Mental Diseases, Sexual Medicine, and Neuropsychiatry. He is currently working at the Department of Psychiatry, Chittagong Medical College & Hospital, Chattogram, Bangladesh. His extensive experience in mental health, sexual medicine, and neuropsychiatry enables him to provide state-of the art quality care to the patients suffering from diverse psychiatric conditions.
Partners in Action
Our Call
Please feel free to contact us for queries, suggestions, and volunteering. We request you all to participate and contribute to our mission to improve the mental healthcare of Bangladesh and move forward to be a remarkably healthy, productive, and invincible nation on the world map.