Bangladesh, Oct. 12 -- Bangladesh plans to recruit 25,000 midwives into its public healthcare system over the next few years and gradually increase health spending to five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hussain has said.

The government is committed to expanding midwifery services and strengthening maternal and newborn healthcare, the minister said while speaking at a ministerial roundtable in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. The event was titled "Accelerating Midwifery and South-South Partnerships for Health Security: From Crisis to Resilience", according to a press release.

"Midwives play a vital role in ensuring safe, dignified and life-saving healthcare for every mother and...