Impact of Covid-19: Childbirth at Nilphamari hospitals falling alarmingly

Childbirth at government hospitals and healthcare facilities in the district fell sharply during the past several months amid the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Expecting women have been avoiding visits to the medical facilities out of fear of contracting the virus, said locals.

Various types of medical services, including pre and post-natal care, are available for expecting women at 260 different levels of healthcare facilities and a 250-bed general hospital in Nilphamari.  

As opposed to 6,500 natural births administered at the facilities between March and July in the year before, there have been only 4,000 natural births during the same period this year.

Deaths of 19 expecting women and 37 newborn were reported during the period this year in the district where the pandemic fear has been driving people to adopt unsafe childbirth measures at their homes.

Mohammad Shahjahan, deputy director of family planning office in Nilphamari, said, "The number of safe deliveries at hospitals fell from March to July as hospitals and clinics were deemed unsafe by pregnant women and their relatives after the government enforced all out shutdown from the last week of March."

"Our facility offers 24-hour safe delivery service for pregnant women as well as anti-natal and post-natal care. But the number of service seekers has dropped during the novel coronavirus pandemic situation," said Roksana Begum, medical officer at Maa O Shishu Kolyan Kendro, a government healthcare service facility in Nilphamari town.

The situation is worse in flood-affected Teesta chars where communications are poor, said Sarwar Alam, health and family planning officer in Dimla upazila.

In July, two women died in the areas during childbirth, being administered by untrained midwives, he also said.  

Abu Taleb, a resident of the chars, said his wife Morzina Begum died at home on July 20 when he arranged the procedure there with the help of a midwife, who was apparently untrained.

As to why they made such a decision, he said they thought the government hospital would be unsafe for his wife and the unborn as Covid-19 patients were treated there.  

Contacted, Nilphamari Civil Surgeon Jahangir Kabir said they would adopt measures to regain people's confidence on government healthcare facilities in their attempt to bring down mother and child mortality rates.