UN working group stresses importance of midwives

The UN's Sexual Reproductive Health working group and its partners celebrated the International Day of the Midwife on Sunday to recognise the outstanding contribution of midwives in saving lives and promoting the health and well-being of mothers and newborns. 

The day is celebrated on 5 May worldwide and Sexual Reproductive Health observed it two days later in Cox's Bazar targeting the district's Rohingya refugee camps and host communities.

The event aimed to raise awareness among different stakeholders and health partners to invest in skilled midwives and trust the evidence to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in target communities. The theme for this year's celebration is "From Evidence to Reality," which calls for action to improve the reputation, autonomy, and working conditions of midwives and to enhance health outcomes of women.

There has been a reduction of maternal mortality from 269 per 100,000 live births in 2009 before introduction of midwifery to 173 per 100,000 live births in 2017 after midwifery was introduced in Bangladesh, according to the World Bank data.

The event was graced by several government officials, including the Cox's Bazar Additional Deputy Commissioner Nashim Ahamed, and Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Shamsud Douza, among others. Nashim Ahamed, who was the chief guest, praised the prime minister for her visionary initiative of improving the quality of midwifery services and education in Bangladesh. "With the SDG targets set for 2030, we are working hard to fill up the existing gaps in the midwifery profession in Bangladesh and ensure quality healthcare for all," he said at the event.

Roselidah Raphael, head of sub office, UNFPA Bangladesh, highlighted the critical role of midwives in providing essential information on sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, and helping people navigate sensitive issues in humanitarian settings. She said, "Midwives are often the only healthcare workers serving people in hard-to-reach places. If every pregnant woman had access to a well-trained, caring midwife, we would be much closer to a world where every pregnancy is wanted, and every childbirth is safe."

At the event, Sadia Afrin Sonia, a midwife supervisor from Cox's Bazar, shared her valuable experience as a midwife. She described the roles of midwives in providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services to women and families, such as access to family planning services, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, support for survivors of gender-based violence, prevention of cervical cancer, and antenatal, postnatal, and newborn care.

More than 430 midwives make up about 40% of the health workforce in Cox's Bazar, the objective of the event was to acknowledge the remarkable impact this profession has made in recent years in the lives of thousands of mothers and infants in Bangladesh. The Sexual and Reproductive Health working group in Cox's Bazar, led by the United Nations Population Fund, organised a series of awareness-raising activities throughout the week to draw attention to the issue of maternal mortality and the core role of skilled midwives in saving lives of women, girls, and newborns.