Create opportunities for midwives

Government and Private sectors need to work together to create opportunities for midwives, suggested Dr. Jahir Uddin Ahmed., Interim Chairperson of the Department of Midwifery and Nursing at BRAC University.  According to him, “The country needs more than 20,000 midwives whereas we have very few of them registered so far”.

A roundtable discussion on “Towards a Midwifery Profession In Bangladesh” where discussants talked about making midwifery education sustainable by creating more opportunities for midwives in Bangladesh, was organized by BRAC University, UKaid and The Daily Star.

Shireen Huq, Member, Naripokkho reminded everyone that more than 60 percent delivery happen at home and traditional birth attendants have been serving voluntarily without any institutional support. Therefore, they need proper training so that deliveries can be performed in a safe and normal way.

In addition to that, Dr. Abu Jamil Faisal, Country representative and project director of EngenderHealth Bangladesh stated that creating awareness among the people that a trained midwife can provide all the necessary support for normal delivery is needed.  It’s not only cost effective but also midwives are more available than doctors. By educating midwives, demand and opportunities both can be created for midwives, he addressed.

To read more, please visit: “Towards a Midwifery Profession in Bangladesh – a Systems Approach for a Complex World“, by The Daily Star.