The UN population agency, UNFPA, has urged countries including Bangladesh to invest in midwifery services to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths by 2030.
“Evidence clearly shows that increased investments in midwifery services can achieve this ambitious target, ever more acute due to the results of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic’ UNFPA Bangladesh representative Dr. Asa Torkelsson said in a message on the International Day of Midwives on Wednesday.
UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem also issued a statement on the day. Every day in every part of the world, midwives save the lives of women and babies and promote the health and well-being of entire communities. They deserve our respect and gratitude, but that is not enough, she said.
“Midwives deserve greater investment in their capabilities, and workplaces that empower them and fully acknowledge their skills and contributions.
“On the International Day of the Midwife, we honour the extraordinary contribution of midwives to humanity, and highlight the mounting data and evidence for more investment in midwifery as an essential element of health care.”
The latest edition of the State of the World’s Midwifery report launched on Tuesday by UNFPA, the World Health Organization and the International Confederation of Midwives affirms that if we increase the number of midwives and the quality of care they provide, we would save an estimated 4.3 million lives a year by 2035. Universal coverage of midwife-delivered interventions by 2035 would avert 67 per cent of maternal deaths.
Such achievements depend on midwives gaining better education and training, along with comprehensive and supportive workplace regulation. They must have a greater role in professional leadership and governance, and scope to use their unique experience to drive advancements in health policies and service delivery, the UNFPA executive director said.
Midwives often work under extraordinary circumstances. They may walk miles to reach women or open space in their own homes to help them safely give birth. They have faced increasing pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and heightened inequalities in their workplaces. Often short on protective gear, and with less access to vaccines than other healthcare workers, midwives have put their own lives at risk serving others.
Such dedication is an invaluable resource, yet too many health systems depend on it without commensurate backing of midwifery as a profession. That will short-circuit ambitions to reach the goal of zero preventable maternal deaths by 2030.
We have the evidence and know what must be done. Health systems everywhere need to take note – and take action – because investing in empowered midwives is one of the surest ways to safeguard life and protect the health and well-being of all.
This year, the International Confederation of Midwives has declared the theme of the day to be “Follow the data, invest in midwives”, which resonates deeply with UNFPA’s global mission to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths by 2030.
In Bangladesh, the contributions of midwives to maternal and child health have been evident since midwifery was introduced as a separate cadre in the national health system since 2013.
“Throughout, UNFPA has supported the Government of Bangladesh in training and deploying midwives to communities around the country, including in areas affected by cyclones and the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, with communities constantly asking for the availability of midwifery services to expand,” the Bangladesh chief Dr. Asa Torkelsson said.
“Despite these promising developments, a lot of work remains to be done. The rate of home based deliveries in Bangladesh still remains high at 53.7% and there is a need to deploy even more midwives to all parts of the country. These challenges can only be addressed through increased investments to ensuring that the services of midwives remain available in health facilities throughout the country.
“Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, we are determined to reach the targets set in the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030. Together in joined efforts with the Government and our other partners we can, and will, create an enabling environment for midwives, where they can most effectively serve the needs of pregnant mothers and their families around the country.
“As UNFPA, we particularly look forward to continuing to improve the quality of midwifery education in the country, as well as supporting the Government in developing an effective regulatory framework for midwifery services. In addition to that the midwives are capacitate to provide services for Postpartum family planning and prevention and management of Gender based violence which are important mandate for UNFPA,” she said.
“Above all, we aspire to continue to be a trusted partner providing guidance and support to all midwifery practitioners and teachers in these challenging times. It is our duty to ensure that midwives are safe and well, as they continue to heroically protect the health and safety of mothers and newborns around the country amidst this crisis, and they will be essential in building back safer, and healthier.”
