Clicky
Editorial

Healthcare facilities for mother and child

New initiative to ensure maternal wellbeing


Bangladeshpost
Published : 08 Sep 2019 06:12 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 09:34 PM

The government has allocated Tk 24.5 billion to build 700 mother and newborn care hospitals to further improve child deliveries and post-delivery healthcare of both child and mother in the rural settings. A comprehensive 3-year plan has been submitted to the Ministry of Health to prevent death and reduce complications during and after  childbirth.

Bangladesh has made remarkable achievements in reducing maternal mortality rates (MMR) and infant mortality rates (IMR). In order to continue this trend it is important to further strengthen childbirth facilities in the rural areas.

A mother’s role in the formation of a child’s character can hardly be stressed enough. Mothers work tirelessly to ensure health, safety and welfare of their children. A nation cannot call itself developed or progressive without ensuring all the rights and welfare of mothers.


The government’s initiative to ensure

 proper medical facilities for mother

 and child has been long overdue


According to a report by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) half of all maternal deaths are caused due to conditions that are preventable with skilled care, such as hemorrhage. Only 41% of the need for maternal health care can be met by professionals. The government is working to establish maternity health clinics in rural areas as well as small towns. Subsidizing maternal healthcare is also needed, even in urban areas as many are unable to afford basic maternal healthcare.

Women’s health and reproductive health is also greatly lacking in our country due to stigma and cultural perceptions. The government must ensure that these areas of healthcare are not neglected and help to destigmatize these issues as well.

Healthcare is one of the basic rights of each and every citizen. A nation can never move ahead unless affordable healthcare is accessible to one and all. The government’s initiative to ensure proper medical facilities for mother and child has been long overdue. Hopefully we will be able to achieve our goals for Sustainable Development Goal 3 which includes reproductive, maternal, newborn and child 

health in the next 3 years.