Bangladesh’s midwifery programme earns Swedish plaudits

The Swedish ambassador in Dhaka has applauded Bangladesh for its progress in creating “a sustainable and strong” future midwifery cadre.

“Investing in midwifery is not only economically sound and life-saving. Midwifery transforms societies,” Johan Frisell said on Monday, a day before the International Day of the Midwife on Tuesday.
 
Sweden is Bangladesh’s key partner that, along with the UNFPA, is helping to create a robust midwifery cadre to save mothers at the time of childbirth.
 
More than 7,300 women die annually in Bangladesh because of complications during pregnancy, delivery, and after a baby’s birth.
 
Nearly 60 percent of deliveries are handled by unskilled assistance providers.
 
The Swedish ambassador at a press briefing said midwives saved lives, and investing in them had been an important part of building a welfare state with access to universal health care.
 
The midwifery profession in Sweden is over 300 years old where the maternal mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world.
 
He praised Bangladesh government for its commitment to midwifery.
 
Bangladesh has established a three-year Diploma Midwifery Programme based on international standards.
 
The course was launched in 2012 and the first batch of midwifery students will graduate at the end of this year.
 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 declared the government’s commitment to educate and deploy 3,000 midwives according to international standards by 2015.

“Today, five years later, Bangladesh is on track in achieving this goal,” Ambassador Frisell said.

Health and Family Welfare Secretary Sayed Monjurul Islam and UNFPA Special Adviser on Maternal Health Dr Syed Abu Jafar Mohammed Musa were present, among others, at the press briefing.

Midwifery education best buy
 
The UNFPA says investing in midwifery education is the ‘best buy’ in primary health care.
 
Its Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin in a message on Monday acknowledged the global progress in cutting maternal deaths this year marks the end of the MDGs.
 
But, he said, “It is not enough”.
 
“We must do more. And we must start with training and providing more midwives,” he said.
 
Osotimehin said evidence showed that midwives who were educated and regulated to international standards can provide 87 percent of the essential care needed by women and their newborns.
 
The Swedish embassy jointly with the government and UNFPA will open a photo exhibition at the Dhaka Nursing College on Tuesday on the midwifery students.