'Midwifery investment can save lives of millions of women'
A United Nations report reveals that major deficits in midwifery workforce occur in 73 countries where these services are most desperately needed, and recommends new strategies to save millions of lives of women and newborns.
The report authored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) together with the International Confederation of Midwives, World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners urged countries to invest in midwifery education and training to contribute to closing the glaring gaps that exist.
The report which was made available to the Ghana News Agency by Fadéla Chaib, WHO Department of Communications over the weekend said investments in midwifery education and training at agreed international standards can yield – as a study from Bangladesh shows – a 1,600 per cent return on investment.
The 73 African, Asian and Latin American countries represented in the "State of the World’s Midwifery 2014: A Universal Pathway – A Woman’s Right to Health" suffer 96 per cent of the global burden of maternal deaths, 91 per cent of stillbirths and 93 per cent of newborn deaths, but have only 42 per cent of the world’s midwives, nurses and doctors.
"Midwives make enormous contributions to the health of mothers and newborns and the well-being of entire communities. Access to quality health care is a basic human right. Greater investment in midwifery is key to making this right a reality for women everywhere," said Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director.
The report said midwives have a crucial role to play in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 4 (decrease child death) and 5 (increase maternal health).
It noted that when educated to international standards and within a fully functional health system, they could provide about 90 per cent of the essential care to women and newborns and could potentially reduce maternal and newborn deaths by two thirds.
Despite a steady decline in maternal deaths in the 73 countries that are covered in the report – dropping yearly by three per cent since 1990 – and newborn deaths – decreasing by 1.9 per cent per year since 1990 – there is more these countries need to do to address the severe shortage of midwifery care.
“Midwives are central to midwifery care and the lives of women and newborn babies. The report precedes the Lancet Special Series on Midwifery, which together with the report will provide the evidence to guide all policy-makers in their quest to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths,” said ICM President Frances Day-Stirk.
It said despite progress, inequities such as lack of access to services and poverty have increased within and among countries.
It said there are still not enough adequately educated midwives to support the health of women and newborns, and this contributes to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths annually.
According to the report, only 22 per cent of countries have potentially enough midwives to provide life-saving interventions to meet the needs of women and newborns, which leaves more than three-fourths (78 per cent) of the countries with severe shortages in proper care.
It said as the population grows, so does the gap in critical resources and infrastructure, unless urgent action is taken.
The 2014 report includes recommendations to close these gaps and to ensure all women have access to sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn services.
“This report, like the Every Newborn Action Plan recently adopted by the World Health Assembly, sets a clear way forward. Both aim to encourage governments to allocate adequate resources for maternal and newborn health services within national health sector plans.
“This should include funds for the education and retention of midwives. We will continue to support countries to develop and strengthen their midwifery services as a critical intervention to save the lives of women and newborns,” said Dr. Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women's and Children's Health.
