The New Nation - Internet Edition

STAFF REPORTER

Unregistered maternity clinics have substantially been contributing to the growing number of maternal mortality and morbidity due to their unsafe abortion and menstrual regulation practices.

"Apart from the government registered maternity clinics, there are many unregistered maternity clinics which have been contributing to the growing number of maternal deaths in the country every year," said Quazi Suraiya Sultana, Executive Director of Reproductive Health and Training and Education Programme (RHSTEP) while speaking at an information sharing meeting with journalists on 'Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights' at National Press Club in the city yesterday.

(RHSTEP, in collaboration with Health and Environment Journalist Forum, Bangladesh (HEJFB) organised the information-sharing meeting.

"Abortion remains an important cause of maternal mortality. We can save lives of many women and girls if we can check unsafe abortion practices in Bangladesh," she said.

Quazi Suraiya Sultana also laid emphasis on the role of both print electronic media to create awareness among women and adolescents for improving their sexual and reproductive health.

An UNFPA study shows that the health and family planning programme of Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the last two decades. It says that the reduction in maternal mortality in the past 15 years is 22 percent, right on towards Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of a 75 percent reduction between 1990 and 2015. However, maternal mortality ratio is still high (320 per 100,000). An estimated 600,000 suffer from pregnancy related complications every year.

In this backdrop, concerted efforts by the government, development partners and other stakeholders become very essential to reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity to achieve the MDG target.

Dr Luna Chakma, Manager-Programme, Project Management Team of RHSTEP made a presentation on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Bangladesh.

Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Head of News, ATN Bangla took part in the discussion on the presentation as the lead discussant, while Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, senior journalist and columnist conducted the discussion as a moderator.

With HEJFB President Mustafiz Shafi in the chair, the information-sharing meeting was also addressed by HEJFB Secretary Saiful Islam Shameem, former president Naimul Huq, and former secretary Masud Kamal.

Senior journalists from different newspapers, news agencies and televisions, including those who cover health related issues participated the daylong programme.