Staff Correspondent

 Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain reiterated the government's commitment to gradually increasing health sector allocations to 5 percent of GDP and recruiting 25,000 midwives into the public healthcare system over the coming years.

He made the statements while addressing a ministerial roundtable titled "Accelerating Midwifery and South-South Partnership in Health Security: Path from Crisis to Resilience" in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday .

The Health Minister stated that midwives play a crucial role in ensuring safe, dignified, and life-saving healthcare for every mother and newborn, emphasizing that investments in midwifery should be viewed not as an expense, but as an effective national investment to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality while lowering overall healthcare expenditure.

Sakhawat Hossain informed the session that the infrastructure of 62 educational institutions nationwide is being modernized to improve midwifery education, alongside initiatives introducing practical training, simulation-based learning, and tech-driven education systems.

Highlighting regional cooperation to address healthcare worker shortages, he noted that Bangladesh is strengthening knowledge sharing, faculty exchanges, and joint training programs with Nepal and Pakistan, while appreciating development partners, particularly UNFPA, for expanding maternal and reproductive health services.

The minister also acknowledged the pivotal role of midwives during climate-induced disasters and humanitarian operations for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, affirming the government's dedication to boosting their skills to safeguard women, children, and the nation's future economy.