Minister pledges 5pc of GDP for healthcare

Bangladesh plans to recruit 25,000 midwives into its public healthcare system over the next few years and gradually increase health spending to five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hussain has said.

The government is committed to expanding midwifery services and strengthening maternal and newborn healthcare, the minister said while speaking at a ministerial roundtable in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. The event was titled “Accelerating Midwifery and South-South Partnerships for Health Security: From Crisis to Resilience”, according to a press release.

“Midwives play a vital role in ensuring safe, dignified and life-saving healthcare for every mother and newborn. Through their services, the quality of antenatal care, safe delivery, emergency medical referrals and postnatal care can be improved,” Sakhawat said.

He said Bangladesh viewed investment in midwives not as an expenditure but as a strategic national investment that could reduce maternal and newborn deaths and lower overall healthcare costs.

The minister said infrastructure at 62 educational institutions across the country was being modernised to improve the quality of midwifery education.

Initiatives had also been taken to introduce practical training, simulation-based education and technology-driven learning systems, he added.

Sakhawat stressed the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shortages of health workers.

Bangladesh was strengthening knowledge exchange, faculty exchange and joint training programmes with Nepal and Pakistan, he said.

He also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, particularly the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to expanding maternal and reproductive healthcare services.