Up to 3.6 million deaths could be avoided each year in 58 developing countries if midwifery services are improved by 2015, according to a major new report launched today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
It is a responsibility of governments and their political leaders and an investment that is key to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. In addition to saving lives and preventing disability, the benefits of quality midwifery services extend to all members of society in far reaching ways, including contributing to a country’s human and economic development.
Increasing women’s access to quality midwifery services has become a focus of global efforts to realize the right of every woman to the best possible health care during pregnancy and childbirth.
The first ever State of the World’s Midwifery report, coordinated by UNFPA, is the result of collaboration among 30 partners including the Department for International Development. The collective aim is to strengthen midwifery practices to prevent maternal death and disability and improve the health of newborns, families, and entire communities.
Launched recently at the Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives in Durban, South Africa, the report unveils new data confirming there is a significant gap between the number of midwives practising and those needed to save lives.
Each year, 358,000 women die while pregnant or giving birth, some two million newborns die within the first 24 hours of life and there are 2.6 million stillbirths, all because of inadequate or insufficient health care.
The report reveals that, unless an additional 112,000 midwives are trained, deployed and retained in supportive environments, 38 of 58 countries surveyed might not meet the Millennium Development Goal target to achieve 95% coverage of births by skilled attendants by 2015.
The report adds that up to 90% of maternal deaths could be prevented if midwives were in place and could refer the most severe complications to specialized care.
The State of the World’s Midwifery 2011 report is divided into four parts. Part 1 summarizes the development of the midwifery profession and the issues confronting midwifery services and the midwifery workforce. A review of the country data obtained from the 58 countries that participated in the survey and information from other sources is presented in Part 2. Opportunities to develop high-quality midwifery services that best respond to the needs of childbearing women and their newborns are presented in Part 3. Finally, in Part 4 the report presents two-page summaries of midwifery in the 58 countries. Relevant annexes are available at the end of the report.
The report can be accessed at this link.
