Fri, 16 October 2026
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Fri, 16 October 2026
By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Oct. 16: Ministry of Health and Food Safety has introduced a new provision to prioritise mothers’ privacy and dignity during childbirth while ensuring that they can be accompanied by a family member of their choice during labour.
Under the Maternal and Child-Friendly Health Institution Programme Operation Guideline, 2026, mothers giving birth at health institutions will no longer have to endure the pain of labour alone, as they will be allowed to have a companion of their choice in the labour room.
Until now, there has been no provision for allowing an attendant in the labour room. Women have had to endure hours of labour pain alone, even during prolonged labour, without the support of a companion.
The guideline also prioritises the use of curtains to maintain mothers’ privacy during childbirth.
“Under the new provision, health institutions must arrange curtains or partitions as necessary to respect the personal privacy and dignity of mothers during childbirth,” said Health Minister Neesha Mehta. The guideline also prioritises allowing mothers to keep newborns with them after birth and initiating breastfeeding as soon as possible, she added. In this regard, the health institutions must designate a contact person to provide necessary counselling and support after mothers and their newborns return home.
According to the Ministry, the guideline emphasises that services must be provided in a manner that ensures the privacy of each mother, even when more than one woman who has given birth is accommodated in the same room or ward.
The new guideline has been issued to make the programme, previously implemented under the Maternal and Child-Friendly Services Campaign Guideline for Health Institutions, 2073, more systematic and effective, said Minister Mehta.
“The objective is to ensure that mothers receive healthcare in a comfortable, safe and respectful environment during childbirth and feel that their physical privacy is protected,” she added.
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