Project Overview

The Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) programme improves the health facilities available to people, especially for mothers and children in the deprived Mithapukur sub-district of Rangpur, 330 kilometers north of the capital Dhaka.

This project has been running since 1999 and provides health education, medical care, nutritional information and basic medication according to community needs.

Project Background

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest nations where basic amenities of life are scarce. On top of this, the country is very susceptible to natural disasters, particularly floods and cyclones.

Development reports indicate that conditions are severest in northern districts which rank as the poorest parts of the country. Among the problems faced by people in the north is lack of basic healthcare facilities.

Considering the above situation, IR initiated the Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) project in two areas of Mithapukur in 1997. Today, the project includes 9 areas in Mithapukur sub district.

Project Objectives

• To provide a referral service & create health service
• Reducing maternal and infant mortality rate
• supplying essential medicines & maintain cost recovery systems
• Promoting  health awareness
• Ensuring preventive health care measures such as immunisations and vaccinations
• Encouraging physical and psychological development of the poor

Project Activities

• Providing antenatal and postnatal care
• Organising pregnancy tests
• Diagnosing high risk pregnancies and referring them to hospital 
• Monitoring child growth
• Providing safe delivery kits
• Providing awareness through health session

Beneficiaries

This project benefits more than 320,000 people in Rangpur, 300,000 of the beneficiaries are women from all sectors of society.