Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque urged pregnant women to give birth their children at institutional child delivery centres to help cutting down the infant and maternity death rates.
The minister came up with the call on Thursday at a press conference at the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), marking the Family Welfare Services and Campaign Week.
The DGFP will observe the week from December 7 to 12 with the theme ‘Let Take Family Planning Service, Prevent Adolescence Pregnancy’, he said. Maleque said, “Bangladesh has become successful in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Now, our target is to achieve the Sustainable Development goals”.
Reducing adolescence pregnancy was emphasized in the SDG index, he said, adding, “It is still a challenge for us”.
The minister underscored the need for encouraging the married female adolescence about taking institutional delivery service and proper use of family planning methods along with encouraging all married couples to use family planning methods.
Noting that the rate of adolescence pregnancy in the country is now 113 in per lakh, he said it should come down to 50 per lakh by 2030. He said a total of eight divisions, 64 districts, 488 upazilas, 60 mother and child welfare centres, 4008 union health and family welfare centres will simultaneously observe the week across the country. Medical Education and Family Welfare Division Secretary Shaikh Yusuf Harun, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General (DG) Professor Abul Kalam Azad and DGFP DG Quazi AKM Mohiul Islam were present at the press conference, among others.
