Voice of Commonwealth

Midwifery education in Bangladesh improves women’s access to safe childbirth!

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (CU)_ In partnership with the British High Commission in Bangladesh, the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) hosted a dissemination seminar on midwifery in Bangladesh at the DGNM auditorium in Dhaka.

The two unique studies focused on the lessons learned while enhancing midwifery in Bangladesh and the approaches to empowering women via midwifery education. In the last three years, women’s access to safe birth has been vastly enhanced as a result of the support provided by the United Kingdom government. In 2021, the midwives employed at 403 Upazila Health Complexes (UzHCs) performed 87% of all births at these UzHCs. In 2018, the proportion was only 24.

The research also indicated that the present midwifery education in Bangladesh is beneficial and contributes to enhancing the social and counseling abilities, as well as the interpersonal communication skills of midwives responding to all service recipients. Compared to the traditional birth attendants, the educated midwives in Bangladesh are capable of giving more institutional support for the use of technology-based childbirth equipment, thereby increasing the credibility of midwifery among service recipients.

The syllabus for midwifery education greatly aids midwives in making crucial decisions during critical situations. The society’s acceptance and attitude regarding midwives have changed dramatically over the past decade. Today, rural communities seek birth and mother care services from certified midwives. They also seek aid and guidance from professional midwives.

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The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Md. Saiful Hassan Badal, the Honorable Secretary of the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. HE Mr. Robert Chatterton Dickson, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Dr. Vibhavendra Raghuyamshi, Chief of Health at UNFPA, Bangladesh; and Dr. Daniel Novac, First Secretary, Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, along with over one hundred representatives from various ministries, development partners, implementing agencies, midwifery institutions, and student midwives were present during the seminar. The seminar was led by Ms. Siddika Akter, Director General of the Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

According to Md. Saiful Hassan Badal, the Honorable Secretary of the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), “The national midwifery programme has greatly contributed to the reduction of maternal and newborn deaths, as well as cesarean section rates in Bangladesh. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has initiated development of a cadre of international standard professional midwives. It was possible due to the strong commitment and support of our honorable Prime Minister. Government has opened the door to higher education for midwives. I believe that the midwives will play a significant role in enabling us to achieve the SDGs by 2030.”

According to British High Commissioner HE Robert Chatterton Dickson, “The UK has been a close development partner to Bangladesh since independence. Our joint effort to strengthen midwifery in Bangladesh adds to the five-decade long Brit Bangla Bondhon for development. Today almost 3,000 midwives are working in the public health system and have helped deliver over 300,000 children over the last five years. Almost 500 midwives are serving in the Rohingya camps and others in the private sector, enabling safer childbirth for women and their babies across Bangladesh.”

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While delivering his speech, the British High Commissioner emphasized the significance of empowering young women with midwifery education, which enables women to understand their full potential, thereby contributing to a healthy society. He reaffirmed the importance of women and girls in the United Kingdom’s new International Development Strategy. He added, “I thank the Government of Bangladesh and hope that the Government will consider those recommendations the UK supported studies have proposed to further strengthen midwifery in Bangladesh”.

The head of the seminar, Ms Siddika Akter, the Director General of the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), said, “Midwives play a critical role in saving the lives of both mothers and newborns. Bangladesh’s National Midwifery Programme has successfully enabled thousands of mothers to give birth normally. Considering the need for their services across the country, more than 20,000 midwives need to be deployed to different health facilities including district and medical college hospitals in the near future. To continue these promising developments, the Government has created 5000 new midwifery posts.”

For about a decade, UNFPA Bangladesh has remained a devoted implementing partner of the United Kingdom, which plays a crucial role in improving midwifery in Bangladesh. Dr. Vibhavendra Raghuyamshi, the Chief of Health at UNFPA, stated, “It has been an immense pleasure for UNFPA to take part in conducting these studies, the findings of which are highly valuable. Professional midwives do not just play a critical role in preventing maternal and newborn deaths, but also providing family planning and gender-based violence response services to vulnerable women and girls. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, as well as our generous donors the United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada to ensure the life-saving services of midwives will become as widely available in Bangladesh as possible.”

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