Set up labour rooms by Saturday or face closure, says health minister

He says midwives will be made mandatory in private clinics to improve maternal care

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain Bakul has ordered all private clinics in Bangladesh to set up labour rooms by Saturday to reduce the rising trend of caesarean deliveries.

The minister issued the ultimatum on Monday morning during a workshop arranged by the Bangladesh Midwifery Society (BMS) in Dhaka, warning that facilities failing to comply within the deadline will face immediate cancellation of their operational licences and closure.

According to him, the government is also moving to make it mandatory for private clinics to hire midwives.

This, he said, would let expectant mothers get advice and care at the local level and encourage them towards normal delivery rather than surgery.

Emphasising the role of midwives in maternal and newborn safety, Sakhawat said greater involvement could help reduce unnecessary caesarean sections.

Over the past decade, the rate of childbirth through caesarean sections has risen alarmingly in Bangladesh.

According to the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF, the rate climbed from 36 percent in 2019 to 51.8 percent in 2025.

The excessive use of C-sections is also increasing the risk of complications for mothers and newborns, raising the likelihood of problems in future pregnancies and driving up healthcare costs.