Maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh has declined by more than 66% over the last two decades. Authorities concerned express hopes that the country would be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on time.
Speaking ahead of National Safe Motherhood Day, Abu Zafor Md Musa, director of primary health care at the health directorate, told the Dhaka Tribune that the maternal mortality rate had been dropping around 5.5% each year and Bangladesh was likely to achieve the target of 143 deaths per 100,000 live births under the MDG -2015.
According to a 2013 survey by different UN organisations, the estimated maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh stood at 170 per 100,000 live births, Musa said, adding that a 2010 study by the NIPORT found that 6,848 women died during childbirth each year.
The government also has plans for reducing the maternal mortality rate to 63 per 100,000 live births by 2030, he added.
In 1990, the rate was 574 per 100,000 live births, according to health directorate’s health bulletin-2013; while the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey by National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) in 2010 put the rate at 194 per 100,000.
Health specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that around 65% of the mothers died during childbirth because of three complications: severe bleeding during pre and post-delivery, epilepsy, and obstructive and belated labour.
The rest of the deaths were mostly caused by indirect reasons including ischemic heart disease, jaundice, anaemia, tuberculosis, congenital heart disease and overall lack of essential health care.
According to Bangladesh Economic Survey 2013, the rate of institutional delivery was only 29%; while around 31.7% women used midwives during childbirth; 61.2% women used contraceptive methods; 54.6% experienced adolescent pregnancy; only 25.5% women went through medical check up during pregnancy, while around 70% women suffered from malnutrition.
Professor Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement Bangladesh, told the 6,000 people in each ward of a union and it was not a daunting task to identify the pregnant Dhaka Tribune that the government has already introduced a community clinic for every mothers and bring them under regular health check up.
Answering to a question on the low percentage of institutional delivery, Dr Mahbub said not all pregnancies required institutional delivery, but added that there must be a system of referral to send the obstructive patients for delivery at the health institutions.
Sources at the health and family planning directorates said 8,428 community health care providers, family welfare assistants and female health assistants were trained as skilled birth attendants in recent years. A three years course on midwifery was also introduced at the NIPORT in 2012-2013, with 525 students currently studying the subject and 700 others expected to enrol in the next session.
Apart from the district and upazila hospitals, safe child delivery is also provided at 581 community clinics and more than 1,500 union mother and child family welfare centres.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is going to observe Safe Motherhood Day 2014 today, with the theme “Let us ensure safe motherhood.” Different public and private organisations have drawn up elaborate programmes to observe the day, which has been observed in the country since 1997.
