18,000 pregnant women among Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh health minister says

Up to 18,000 pregnant women are among the Myanmar refugees who have escaped to Bangladesh, says Health Minister Mohammed Nasim.

Nurses and midwives have aided the normal delivery of 173 babies in health camps, he told a media briefing in Dhaka on Thursday.

“Rohingya women are unaware of birth control methods. They did not receive health services in Myanmar,” the minister said.

The government was working to ensure proper care for these women, he said.

Health workers have been distributing contraceptives among them, such as condoms, birth-control pills and injections that stop ovulation for up to three months.