Accra, May 6, GNA – The United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), Ghana says there is a critical global shortage of around a million midwives.
A statement issued by Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director at the UNFPA to commemorate the International Day of the Midwife, said without significantly expanding midwifery, more women will die in childbirth. “Millions of stories will have no heroes and instead end in tragedy.”
International Day of the Midwife is celebrated on the 5th of May annually to raise awareness about the midwifery profession.
The statement said midwives could provide up to 90 percent of essential services for sexual and reproductive health and bring their expertise and counsel to women wherever they were.
However, their working conditions could be arduous, discouraging many from joining the profession.
Overt gender discrimination against this largely female workforce had also resulted in low wage rates, limited opportunities for advancement, and reports of sexual harassment on the job, the statement said.
The statement said the UNFPA had been investing in midwifery education, regulation, and strengthening the roles of professional midwifery associations because of the central role of midwives in reproductive health care.
It said UNFPA supported the initiation of the Bachelor of Science degree in midwifery at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
UNFPA continues to provide additional support to KNUST such as the donation of skills laboratory equipment in 2023 to improve the quality of skills of the midwifery students.
The UNFPA “in partnership with the Ministry of Health, in 2023, supported the assessment of 16 midwifery schools to establish Midwifery Centres of Excellence; and supported the development of preceptorship guidelines for midwives and trained tutors in its application.
In addition, UNFPA worked with the Ministry of Health and other partners to support the review of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan (2024 – 2028) and continuing to work with midwifery associations to foster a stronger and harmonized voice that champions midwifery cause and reproductive health in general.
The statement said: “right now, around the world, millions of lives are in the hands of midwives. Whether they are wading through flood waters to reach pregnant women or delivering babies amid the, or in the scorching sun flying at 40 degrees, midwives are the unsung heroes of community health services.
“Thanks to midwives, births are safer. The sexual and reproductive health care they provide is more attuned to women’s needs, desires, and local cultural practices.
Already, a woman or girl dies every two minutes somewhere in the world due to pregnancy, childbirth, or its aftermath.”
Now, climate change threatens to make the situation worse. Hotter temperatures complicate pregnancies and could lead to premature births and miscarriages. Sudden floods could sweep away roads, making it impossible to reach health facilities, the statement said.
Extreme weather events put women and girls at heightened risk of displacement, child, and forced marriage and could take away their means of supporting themselves.
The UNFPA called for a commitment to supporting the midwifery profession, especially during a worsening climate crisis, which makes the need for midwives more urgent than ever.
GNA