Govt prioritises natural childbirth, seeks to curb unnecessary C-sections

The government is taking various initiatives to reduce the trend of unnecessary caesarean deliveries in the country and increase the number of normal deliveries, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Professor Dr. Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain. 

He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Sports, Education and Skills in Humanitarian Crisis Situations (SPLASH)' project jointly organized by BRAC and Lego Foundation at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Monday (July 13). 

The Health Minister said that if normal deliveries are ensured, the newborn will receive mother's colostrum immediately after birth. Colostrum is very important for the healthy growth and development of the child. But due to unnecessary caesareans, many newborns are deprived of this important nutrition immediately after birth. 

He said that the caesarean culture should be reduced and emphasis should be placed on normal deliveries. To this end, the government is working to further strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare.

The minister said that initiatives have been taken to recruit 100,000 health workers to strengthen healthcare. Of these, about 80,000 will be women. A large portion of them will go door-to-door as caregivers and midwives to provide necessary services and advice to pregnant women.

He also said that initiatives have been taken to expand breast and cervical cancer screening programs at the upazila level, increase dialysis services in district and upazila hospitals, and strengthen family planning programs. 

The Health Minister also said that families, society, and the state must work together to develop children and young people as healthy and responsible citizens. 

BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh presided over the program.