Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has ordered all private hospitals and clinics across Bangladesh to establish labour rooms by July 11, warning that facilities failing to comply will face licence cancellation.
The directive was issued on Monday while the minister was addressing a programme organised by the Bangladesh Midwifery Society in the capital.
Sakhawat said establishing labour rooms and appointing trained midwives would now be mandatory for all private healthcare facilities to improve maternal healthcare and promote normal deliveries.
"There is no alternative to expanding access to normal deliveries to ensure safe maternal healthcare," he said.
The minister instructed all hospitals and clinics to implement the directive within the stipulated deadline, warning that legal action, including closure of non-compliant facilities, could be taken.
He expressed hope that the initiative would strengthen safe maternal healthcare services nationwide and significantly increase the rate of normal deliveries.
Speaking at the programme, Sakhawat also said the government has ensured adequate hospital bed capacity across the country to handle a possible rise in dengue and measles cases.
He added that mobile hospitals would be deployed if additional medical support becomes necessary.
The minister further announced that tablets for destroying Aedes mosquito larvae would be distributed nationwide within the next seven days as part of the government's efforts to curb the spread of dengue.
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