Kathmandu. Minister for Health and Food Hygiene Nisha Mehta said that maternity leave of 6 months should not be seen only as an employee facility.

She said that it should be taken as an investment in respecting motherhood and building the long-term human capital of the nation. Responding to the queries raised by lawmakers on the bill to amend the ‘Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act, 2075’ in the House of Representatives on Monday, Minister Mehta clarified that the proposed amendment has given high priority to the health and nutrition of mother and newborn.

Minister Mehta said that the maternity rights of women working in both the government and private sector should be equal and the private sector health institutions should also follow it fully. According to her, the state will further strengthen the legal and institutional arrangements to make the provision of maternity leave and maternity care effective.

She said, “Maternity leave of 6 months is related to the respect of motherhood, health care of the child and a healthy future of the society. It should not be seen only as a convenience for government or private sector employees. ’

Talking about the theoretical aspects of the bill, she said that ending violence during childbirth, availability of trained obstetricians, timely revision of the law related to abortion and punishment according to the offence have been made the main basis of the amendment. Minister Mehta said that it is not enough to formulate the law but it is the main responsibility of the state to implement it in practice.