Both govt. and opposition’s women Members of Parliament have pledged to mount up their voice to take proper budgetary actions to halt maternal mortality in country. They expressed their concern in an opinion sharing meeting styled ‘Reflection of Millennium Development Goal in national Budget’ organised by Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha on 5th June at a restaurant at Dhanmandi in city. Deputy speaker of parliament Colonel (Rtd.) Sawkat Ali, Hasanul Huq Inu MP, Project Director of Community Health Clinic Project Dr. Makhduma Nargis Ratna, former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Dr. Rashid E Mahbub were presented at the sharing including thirteen women MPs from Awami League and BNP.
Despite significant progress in decreasing poverty gap, increasing primary school enrollment with attaining gender parity, reducing child and infant morality rates over the past three decades, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Bangladesh is still one of the highest rates in the world.
Rokeya Kabir informed the people’s representatives and policy makers that each year 351 women die in 100,000 delivery process. These complications are preventable by proper interventions, awareness and treatment by skilled health workers. Ironically the government including development partners often claims a success of reducing the MMR from 570 in 1990 to 351 after 2000. But the cumulative number is still above 20,000, which could not be ignored at all.
Dr. Makhduma Nargis explained the planning of present government to prevent MMR through the community health clinic project.
In their discussion Tahura Ali MP, Papia Ashrafi MP, Sanjida Khanom MP, Mahbub Ara Begum Gini MP, Hasanul Huq Inu, Habibunnahar MP, Rehana Akter Ranu MP, Nilufar Chowdhury MP and Rowshan Jahan Sathi MP describes the worsen state of health services particularly to women in their constituencies. They emphasized on increase service along with more awareness program to prevent causes like early marriage, early motherhood and social malpractice of not going to clinic. All of them expressed their vows to raise this issue in ongoing budget session of national parliament.
In his discussion honorable deputy speaker advised his fellow MPs to uphold the discussed issues precisely and specifically in their speech at parliament sessions.
The discussion also stressed on more budgetary allocation for women to reduce gender discrimination and thus achieve MDG 3.
Representative from UN Millennium Campaign and Women journalists from print and electronic media also participated in this sharing.
