Now, a BRAC-run health centre is offering rare maternal care in the isolated area, where access to doctors and emergency services has long remained scarce.
Taherima Kharun, a midwife at the BRAC health centre, said, “At home deliveries, we have seen both mothers and babies die. There were also cases where traditional birth attendants tried to deliver babies, and the child died during the process. When women here go into labour, people have no option except motorcycles or horse carts to take them to health facilities.”
She said most women in the area experience repeated pregnancies, with some giving birth to as many as 12 or 13 children. Early marriage remains widespread, with many girls married off between the ages of 14 and 16, while family planning services are almost non-existent.