Kathmandu, May 19

It has already been a month since the Ministry of Health decided to launch special campaign for safe motherhood at government hospitals. However, some government hospitals have not even been informed about this.

Officials at Bhaktapur Hospital expressed ignorance about the government’s safe motherhood campaign.

Sabitri Paudel, chief nurse at the hospital, said she was unknown about the campaign and she had seen no women reporting to the hospital for free health service.

On April 16, the government had decided to run safe motherhood campaign throughout the fiscal 2018-19 in a bid to reduce maternal mortality, which stands at 239 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the country.

Minister of State for Health and Population Padma Kumari Aryal had inaugurated the safe motherhood campaign by felicitating five new mothers amidst a programme at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

It was announced that in the first phase of the campaign, government hospitals across the country would provide free screening for cervical cancer and free treatment for breast cancer and fistula. The first phase of the campaign will continue till July.

In the same way, director at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital and Nepal Cancer Relief Society Ishwor Shrestha said, “Though the Ministry of Health has launched safe motherhood campaign, our hospital hasn’t got any official information about it.”

“If the government provides official information, we are ready to organise free screening for cervical and breast cancer at the hospital and provide this service in other districts through health camps,” he added.

Bir Hospital has also not received any such information. Director at Bir Hospital BhupendraBasnet said the hospital had no information about safe motherhood campaign.