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Safe Motherhood Day Observed

'60,000 women suffer from maternal complications a yr'

Staff Correspondent
With the theme of 'Ensure safe motherhood, build healthy nation' the Safe Motherhood Day 2009 was observed across the country yesterday to create awareness about maternal and child healthcare issues.
Different government and non-government organisations held various programmes in the city and elsewhere in the country to mark the day.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organised the inaugural function of the day at Osmani Memorial auditorium in the city.
In his inaugural speech Health and Family Welfare Minister Prof AFM Ruhul Haque said two women die every hour due to pregnancy and childbirth related complications and around 60,000 women suffer from maternal complications every year in the country.
He said the government would reactivate community clinics across the country soon to reduce maternal and child mortality as it is an innovative approach to deliver maternal and neonatal healthcare service effectively.
The health minister said to reduce maternal mortality his ministry would take special programmes to create aware- ness about bad effects of early marriage as it is one of the main barriers to over come the situation.
Attending the function as special guest, Prof Dr Syed Modasser Ali, adviser to the prime minister, said the government would take effective measures to bring down the maternal mortality rate to zero level.
"The government has a plan to appoint more local health consultants to improve healthcare services as it is not possible to improve healthcare facilities only depending on foreign consultants," he said, adding if it is necessary six local consultants would be appointed instead of one foreign consultant.
The adviser said the government will also take initiative to train up traditional birth attendants as 85 percent of deliveries still take place at home attended mostly by untrained personnel which accelerates the maternal mortality.
Prof Shah Monir Hossain, director general of DGHS, stressed the need for motivating young specialists to stay at upazila level to develop healthcare services at rural level as majority of the people there do not get proper healthcare services.
Mohammad Abdul Qayyum, director general of DGFP, WHO Representative Dr Duangvade Sungkhobol, UNFPA representative Arther Erken and Unicef Representative Carel de Rooy also spoke at the programme.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad also organised a discussion titled 'Women's rights: Safe motherhood' at Cirdap auditorium in the city to observe the day.
Speakers at the discussion stressed the need for strengthening monitoring system to know whether the initiatives regarding reducing maternal and child mortality functioning properly or not
They also demanded more budgetary allocation to address the issue properly.
Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanam presided over the discussion which was also addressed by Dr Maleka Banu, general secretary of the parishad, Prof Dr Nazmun Nahar of Birdem hospital, Dr Abdul Qayum of ICDDR.B and Dr Laila Arjumand Banu of Lab Aid Hospital.