Int'l Day of Midwife today
Bangladesh is observing International Day of the Midwife today as elsewhere across the globe through various programmes.
On the occasion, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), gave a statement yesterday.
The statement said more than one in three women in developing countries give birth alone or with only relatives, barely bothering for a safe delivery.
In some of the poorest countries, a midwife or a health worker with midwifery skills assists only 13 percent of all deliveries, read the statement. Everyday 1,000 women and 5,500 newborns die in the first week of life for lack of adequate medical care, he said.
The complications could easily been prevented by a health worker with the right skills, the right equipment and the right support, he added.
Currently the global shortage of professional midwives is an estimated 350,000, he said, adding that investing in human resources for health is one of the soundest investments a country can make.
In 2011, UNFPA is highlighting the crucial role midwives play in saving lives and strengthening national health systems, said the statement.
“Together with more than 20 partners, we will release the first ever State of the World's Midwifery report in June. We will scale up our joint Investing in Midwives Programme with the International Confederation for Midwives to cover 30 countries.
“And we will join the thousands of midwives at the Triennial Midwives Congress in Durban, South Africa, in June to discuss human resources for health and the way forward,” he said.
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