UNFPA deploys midwives in Bangladesh’s tea gardens to cut maternal deaths

The UN population agency that promotes midwifery services in Bangladesh has mobilsed lifesaving caregivers at the government health facilities in tea gardens aiming to reduce maternal deaths.

The UNFPA said the ‘Bagan Mayer Jonno’ project to improve maternal, newborn and adolescent health in tea gardens has been expanded to 35 tea gardens in Moulavibazar district from the five gardens when it was launched in 2016.
 
An event was held in Moulvibazar marking the expansion of the project in the presence of UNFPA Bangladesh representation Asa Torkelsson on Thursday.
 

It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Directorate General of Family Planning, the Directorate General of Health Services, CIPRB and the UNFPA.

The ‘Bagan Mayer Jonno’ project addresses the many factors which collectively impact women’s health such as access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services and information, family planning, child marriage, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.

UNFPA introduced graduate midwives into select tea gardens in 2016 and 2017 to ensure that mothers can have safe deliveries, preventing unnecessary maternal and newborn deaths.

“This is a great achievement. I know midwives are already playing a role in improving women’s and newborn health and will continue to strengthen the health system in the reducing mortalities in this low performing area,” Torkelsson said.

Kazi Anowarul Hoque, additional secretary at the Economic Relations Division, was also present.