Higher budget, midwives at grassroots key
Increased budgetary allocation for the health sector and trained midwives in rural areas can reduce the maternal mortality rate, experts told a roundtable yesterday.
Currently, four percent of the national budget and about one percent of the gross domestic product are allocated for the health sector which are inadequate to develop maternal and child health, they observed.
The discussion was organised by Bangla daily Prothom Alo and Unicef with the support of the Global Affairs of Canada and Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) at the newspaper's office in the capital.
In her keynote presentation, Lianne Kuppens, chief of health section, Unicef, said the present maternal mortality rate (176 per 100,000 live births) can be reduced to 70 within 2030 by taking initiatives like stopping child marriage and empowering women and providing maternity service at the grassroots.
“The government needs to allocate more money for the heath sector to provide maternity health service to the root level people,” said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim.
“If we cannot reach health services to people in the village, the overall development of Bangladesh will be hampered,” he added.
Canadian High Commissioner Benoît-Pierre Laramée said, “Trained midwife is needed for safe baby birth, and the Canadian government will support Bangladesh to develop its maternity services.”
Dr Istiaq Mannan, director of health, nutrition and HIV/Aids, Save the Children, urged the government to monitor maternity services and service providers.
Dr Mohamed Sharif, director, Maternal and Child Health Services, Directorate General of Family Planning, also spoke.
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