Patna: In a bid to improve maternal and newborn care across government healthcare facilities, Bihar's Health Department has directed all district hospitals to review the availability of equipment in obstetrics and gynaecology operation theatres and Labour, Delivery and Recovery (LDR) complexes, and identify any gaps. The equipment includes operation tables, anaesthesia workstations, electrical suction machines, flash autoclaves, 12-channel ECG machines, and foetal dopplers, equipment that hospitals rely on daily in delivery and surgical care. As per a report by TOI, he said the initiative would improve the quality of delivery services in government hospitals, promote safe motherhood and help reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. He said better-equipped facilities would strengthen obstetric and gynaecological services and reduce the need for referrals to higher centres. The department expects the exercise to translate into more reliable, higher-quality maternity care for pregnant women across Bihar, care that doesn't depend on being referred elsewhere.