The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Thakurgaon

The government of Bangladesh in association with UNFPA, UNICEF and World Health Organization for the first time has launched a programme named "Accelerating Progress towards Maternal and Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity Reduction" in the frame work of Health Nutrition and Population Sector Programme (HNPSP) to cut maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

The programme, officials told BSS, would help achieve UN millennium development goal (MDG) 4 and 5 will cover 22 upazilas of Thakurgaon, Moulavibazar, Narail and Jamalpur districts.

At present in Bangladesh the rate of neonatal mortality is 37 per 1000 and the rate of maternal mortality is 320 per one lakh, experts told a meeting held here on Sunday at the conference room of Thakurgaon sadar upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). The meeting presided over by Md Sarwar Alam, UNO, Thakurgaon sadar upazila and addressed, among others, by Dr Md Nurul Huda, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, Thakurgaon sadar upazila, Prof Ayub Ali, former Principal Thakurgaon Govt College, Syed Merajul Hossain, former president Thakurgaon Press Club, Sadequl Islam, Co-ordinator of Manab kallyan Parishad.

Local elite, teachers of schools and colleges, imams of mosques, representatives of different NGOs, representatives of socio-cultural organizations, representatives of women groups, officials and workers of Health and Family Planning Department and journalists attended the meeting.

To implement the task of reducing maternal and neonatal Mortality, a 14- member Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Committee was formed with Md Sarwar Alam, UNO Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila as co-chairman and Dr Md Nurul Huda, Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer as member- secretary in the meeting.