Invest in Midwives to Achieve Global Goal of reduced Maternal and Child Mortality: International Day of Midwife 2021
Midwifery being such an honorable and distinguished profession, is often neglected of the crucial role they play in many communities in our country. Midwives are directly involved in ensuring healthy delivery of a child which is an extremely responsible and stress-involved process. All too often, they are deprived of their own rights- to selfcare, decent work and pay, and protection from discrimination.
Although at a delay, but Bangladesh has realized the symbiotic relationship between increased professional midwives and decrease of maternal and neonatal mortality rate. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Bangladesh is committed to end preventable child and maternal deaths by 2030.
To reach the goal the healthcare planners have prioritized antenatal and postnatal care, normal vaginal delivery, emergency obstetric care and new born care which directly links to quality maternal health services.
Progress is made in improving maternal health, and efforts to increase institution-based delivery. However, the rate of maternal mortality is still high. Half of births continue to take place at home, leaving women at serious risk when complications arise. More than 5,000 Bangladeshi women died in pregnancy or childbirth in 2017 alone.
As per the UNFPA State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2021, Bangladesh facts on midwifery are as follows-
Midwives per 10,000 population: 3.92
Number of midwives: 63,857
Annual number of pregnancies: 4,259,089
Births attended by skilled health personnel (% of live births): 53%
Neonatal mortality rate (deaths within 28 days per 1,000 live births): 17.1
Check out the following documents on Midwifery in Bangladesh and the world:
Download: UNFPA’s State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2021
Download: Bangladesh profile as part of UNFPA’s State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2021
References:
http://sph.bracu.ac.bd/index.php/midwifery2
https://bangladesh.unfpa.org/en/topics/midwifery-0
