Bangladesh 2014

First-order births are more likely to be assisted by a medically trained provider (52 percent).
Medically assisted births are more common among women in urban areas (61 percent), women who have
completed secondary or higher education (75 percent), and women in the highest wealth quintile (74
percent). Among divisions, Khulna has the highest proportion of births assisted by medically trained
providers (58 percent), while Sylhet has the lowest (27 percent).
The HPNSDP target for delivery by a medically trained provider is set at 50 percent by 2016
(MOHFW, 2011). Over the past 10 years, the proportion of deliveries by medically trained providers has
increased 2.6 times, from 16 percent in 2004 to the current level of 42 percent (Figure 9.7). This is almost
solely due to an increase in institutional delivery, given that the great majority of births delivered at home
are delivered by unskilled individuals (92 percent in 2014) (Table 9.8).
Figure 9.7 Trend in skilled attendance at deliveries, 2004-2014
Percent of
deliveries in the
past 3 years
42
32
21
16
2004 BDHS 2007 BDHS 2011 BDHS 2014 BDHS
9.3 POSTNATAL CARE FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
Postnatal care is a crucial component of safe motherhood and neonatal health. Postnatal checkups
provide an opportunity to assess and treat delivery complications and to counsel mothers on how to care for
themselves and their newborn infant. A large proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths occur during the
24 hours following delivery (UNICEF 2012). In addition, the first two days following delivery are critical
for monitoring complications for both mothers and their newborns.
To assess the extent to which mothers receive postnatal care, the 2014 BDHS asked the respondent
whether she and her child had received a health checkup after the delivery, the timing of the first check, and
the type of health provider for the last birth in the three years preceding the survey.
9.3.1 Postnatal Checkup for Mother
The 2014 BDHS data show that 39 percent of mothers and 36 percent of children in Bangladesh
received postnatal care from a medically trained provider within 42 days after delivery, the vast majority
within the crucial first two days of delivery (36 percent of women and 32 percent of children) (Table 9.9).
On the other hand, 61 percent of mothers and 64 percent of children did not receive a postnatal checkup from
a medically trained provider.
Occurrence of a postnatal checkup from a medically trained provider within two days of delivery
has increased from 20 percent of mothers in 2007 to 27 percent in 2011 to the current level of 36 percent
124 • Maternal and Newborn Health