Private clinics must set up labour rooms by Saturday or face closure: Health minister

Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain has directed all private clinics across the country to establish labour rooms by Saturday (11 July), warning that licences will be cancelled and facilities shut down if they fail to comply.

The minister made the announcement at a workshop organised by the Bangladesh Midwifery Society (BMS) at a hotel in the capital today (6 July).

He said the rate of unnecessary Caesarean sections in the country had risen alarmingly and that labour rooms must be ensured in every private clinic to promote normal deliveries.

"The Ministry of Health will maintain a strict stance on this matter," he said.

Sakhawat also said initiatives were underway to make the recruitment of midwives mandatory in all private clinics.

According to the minister, greater involvement of midwives would help provide pregnant women with necessary advice and care at the local level and encourage normal deliveries.

"Midwives will counsel mothers to undergo normal delivery. Many mothers opt for Caesarean deliveries after being influenced by middlemen in the belief that it will save their lives," he said.

"The role of skilled midwives is extremely important in ensuring maternal and neonatal safety. If their involvement in maternity care can be increased, it will be possible to reduce unnecessary Caesarean operations."

The minister also said the government plans to recruit 100,000 healthcare workers this year, of whom 80,000 will be women.

"Of these, the highest number will be recruited as midwives so that services can be provided through midwives at health centres across the country," he said.