Labour rooms mandatory for Pvt. clinics

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Monday directed all private clinics and hospitals across the country to establish delivery rooms by July 11, warning that licences of non-compliant institutions would be cancelled.

Speaking as the chief guest at a workshop organised by the Bangladesh Midwifery Society (BMS) in a city hotel, the minister said the directive was aimed at addressing the rising trend of unnecessary Caesarean section (C-section) deliveries in private healthcare facilities.

“The mandatory establishment of delivery rooms in all private clinics and hospitals must be completed by July 11. Otherwise, the licences of the respective institutions will be cancelled,” he said.

He expressed concern over the increasing rate of avoidable C-sections, alleging that some healthcare providers had become overly profit-driven, prioritising financial gain over patient welfare.

The minister said Bangladesh once had a strong tradition of safe normal deliveries, particularly in rural areas with the support of experienced birth attendants, but commercialisation had contributed to a sharp rise in unnecessary surgical interventions.

He also alleged that some private clinics and intermediaries misled expectant families by exaggerating pregnancy risks, creating fear and pushing them towards Caesarean deliveries without medical necessity.

Sakhawat said the government would take strict action to stop such unethical practices and protect pregnant women from avoidable surgical procedures.

Referring to the dengue situation, he said adequate hospital beds and mobile medical services had been arranged, while prevention activities had been ongoing at the upazila level for the past two months.

He added that mosquito larvicide tablets would be distributed nationwide within the next seven days alongside continued cleanliness drives.

The minister also said the earlier shortage of saline had been resolved and sufficient supply was now available, adding that the current dengue situation was better compared to the same period last year.

He instructed doctors not to discharge dengue patients until they were fully satisfied with their recovery, even after fever subsided, stressing the need to monitor risks such as plasma leakage.

Sakhawat further announced that the government planned to recruit 100,000 new health workers, of whom 80,000 would be women, with most expected to serve as midwifery professionals.