World faces midwives shortage – WHO

By Lerato Ndlovu

The world is suffering from a shortage of midwives that has led to a rise in the infant mortality rate, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

In a statement the World Health Organisation (WHO), stated that the world is facing a shortage of 900 000 midwives which represents a third of the required global midwifery workforce and fully investing in midwives by 2035 would avert two thirds of maternal newborn deaths and still births, saving 4.3 million lives per year.

“Millions of lives of women and newborns are lost, and millions more experience ill health or injury, because the needs of pregnant women and skills of midwives are not recognized or prioritized.

“The world is currently facing a shortage of 900,000 midwives, which represents a third of the required global midwifery workforce.

“The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated these problems, with the health needs of women and newborns being overshadowed, midwifery services being disrupted and midwives being deployed to other health services,” read part of the statement.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said midwives play an important role in reducing infant deaths and risks at birth, hence the need for policies, support and protection for midwives and other health workers.

“Midwives play a vital role in reducing the risks of childbirth for women all over the world, but many have themselves been exposed to risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. We must learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us, by implementing policies and making investments that deliver better support and protection for midwives and other health workers”.

UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said, the State of the World’s Midwifery report sounds the alarm that the world urgently needs 1.1 million more essential health workers to deliver sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health care, and 80 per cent of these missing essential health workers are midwives.

“A capable, well-trained midwife can have an enormous impact on childbearing women and their families – an impact often passed on from one generation to the next. We have seen that these efforts work, but they need greater investment,” she said.

Dr. Franka Cadée, President of the International Confederation of Midwives urged governments to acknowledge the evidence surrounding the life promoting, life-saving impact of midwife-led care, and take action. This work is not possible without commitment from relevant stakeholders.

The statement went on to state that gender inequality and under resourcing of the midwifery workforce has also led to this massive shortage.

“Gender inequality is an unacknowledged driver in this massive shortage, the continued under-resourcing of the midwifery workforce is a symptom of health systems not prioritizing the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls, and not recognizing the role of midwives – most of whom are women – to meet these needs, women account for 93 per cent of midwives and 89 per cent of nurses”.

A report published by Lancet in December showed that fully resourcing midwife delivered care by 2035 could avert 67 percent of maternal deaths, 64 per cent of newborn deaths and 65 per cent of stillbirths. It could save an estimated 4.3 million lives per year.

Apart from delivering babies, midwives also provide antenatal and postnatal care and a range of sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, detecting and treating sexually transmitted infections, and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents.