By Dr Aynal Haque
RAJSHAHI, March 15, 2021 (BSS) – Primary healthcare facilities like union
health and family welfare centers, union sub-centers, community clinics and
rural dispensaries have appeared godsend to rural mothers here as those are
providing maternal and neonatal healthcare services.
Along with prenatal, postnatal, neonatal and child healthcare services,
normal delivery is also being carried out at those healthcare centers,
concerned health officials said.
Around 35 mothers gave birth to babies through normal delivery at Ghatnagar
Union Health and Family Welfare Center (UH&FWC) under Porsha Upazila in
Naogaon district from October, 2019 to February last, an official of the
centre said.
It has also provided services on 508 antenatal, 92, postnatal, 622 family
planning, 1,200 children and 5,280 general health during the period.
Runa Parvin, Family Welfare Visitor of Ghatnagar UH&FWC, said many
marginalized and underprivileged rural mothers are availing the services as
their confidence on the primary healthcare center has enhanced.
She said the community volunteers working with Public Health Improvement
Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR) Project are creating awareness among the
grassroots people about the aspects of institutional delivery and other
routine antenatal and neonatal healthcare services.
Shorifa (19, was blessed with her first baby through normal delivery at
Ghatnagar UH&FWC without any complexities on February 12 last.
“I’m very much happy after delivering my healthy baby,” said Shorifa, wife
of Muhammad Abdullah of Amdah Bohurul, taking her smiling newborn bay on lap.
She got all the necessary reproductive healthcare services free of cost from
the centre smoothly.
“We had no capacity to bear the cost of the cesarean section with my
husband’s limited income,” she added.
Another mother Shantona (21), wife of Muhammad Milon of South Para village,
is also happy with normal delivery in the same centre on February 1 last.
“I’ve received healthcare services amid necessary counselling by community
volunteers during the pregnancy period to make sure my safe and normal
delivery,” she said.
DASCOH Foundation has been implementing the PHIIR project in five upazila
health complexes, 42 UHFWCs and 110 Community Clinics under Bagmara, Charghat
and Tanore Upazilas in Rajshahi and Porsha and Sapahar Upazilas in Naogaon
districts since 2013.
The project is intended to improving the health status of the targeted
population with special focus on maternal, neonatal and child health at
primary health care centres.
With initiative of the PHIIR Project, Porsha Upazila Chairman Shah Manzur
Morshed Chowdhury visited the Ghatnagar UH&FWC and held a coordination
meeting with concerned recently discussing and devising ways and means on how
to make the center more effective.