GOMBAK, July 26 — The government will formulate its own regulations on doulas or birth coaches rather than adopting those of other countries, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said.
He also noted that no such model was available to be copied, in any case.
“This (doulas) probably has no benchmark or measurement on how to regulate, so it falls upon us to tackle the issue seriously and with innovation,” he said at the closing of the HePiLi Convention.
Dzulkefly said he also planned to engage with doulas to understand and identify related issues.
“Once we know what is being dealt with, we can set the objectives and goals in regulating them,” he said, adding he has also discussed this in the ministry’s post-Cabinet meetings and will follow up on it shortly.
It is important that doulas eventually be certified to ply their skills, Dzulkefly said when noting that it is critical to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
“In those days we would rely on midwives from the villages. Nowadays there are doulas, whose practice could be problematic if not regulated properly,
“So it is better to regulate them so as to prevent any harm from coming to the mother and child,” he said.
Doulas are defined as a person who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother expecting, experiencing labour, or has recently given birth.
The practice came under scrutiny following the death of a baby in Johor during a home birth gone wrong.
