DGHS orders private hospitals to set up labour rooms by July 11

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), on Monday, directed all private hospitals and clinics to establish labour rooms (delivery rooms) by July 11, warning that facilities failing to comply will face legal action.

The directive came hours after Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain instructed private clinics and hospitals across Bangladesh to set up labour rooms within the deadline.

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He cautioned that licences of non-compliant facilities would be revoked.

The minister issued the warning while addressing a workshop organised by the Bangladesh Midwifery Society in Dhaka, saying the move was aimed at reducing unnecessary C-sections and encouraging normal deliveries.

Later in the day, the DGHS issued a formal letter stating that all private hospitals and clinics must establish labour rooms as per the official inspection checklist. “Legal action would be taken if the room was not established within the deadline,” the directive read.

The letter was sent to presidents and general secretaries of the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association and the Bangladesh Private Hospital Clinic Diagnostic Owners Association. It was signed by Abu Hossain Md Moinul Ahsan, Director (Hospitals and Clinics) of DGHS