Bangladesh Plans to Recruit 25,000 Midwives to Strengthen Maternal and Child Health

Bangladesh has reduced its maternal mortality ratio from 574 deaths per 100,000 live births in the mid-1980s to 136 today. Yet around 4,000 women still die every year from largely preventable pregnancy-related causes, while 30 percent of births still take place at home.

Midwives are a critical part of closing this gap. Bangladesh now has 7,230 licensed diploma midwives, but only 2,557 are currently deployed across the country’s 6,215 public health facilities. Another 5,000 government posts have already been approved for phased deployment.

The numbers reveal the challenge clearly: having trained midwives is not enough. They must also be deployed where women need them most.

Now, Bangladesh is making its biggest investment in midwifery yet.

At the 34th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives in Lisbon, the government announced that it will create and deploy 25,000 midwife positions across the public health system by 2030. The deployment will be phased, with primary healthcare facilities receiving priority.

Why does this matter?

Because midwives can provide up to 90 percent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services. Evidence also shows that investing in midwifery can prevent maternal and newborn deaths while generating significant social and economic returns.

The 25,000 figure is therefore more than a workforce target. It is a commitment to bring skilled, quality care closer to women, reduce preventable deaths, and move Bangladesh closer to the Sustainable Development Goal of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

The challenge now is turning the number 25,000 into midwives for the sake of the communities and where every safe birth can make a difference.

Because investing in midwives is not simply investing in a profession. It is investing in mothers, newborns, families, and the future of Bangladesh.

Source:https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-welcomes-bangladesh-landmark-commitment-deploy-25000-midwives