You are not alone, UNFPA chief tells young midwives

The chief of the UN population agency has encouraged young midwives in the pursuit of their career “professionally” and said the UNFPA would support them globally.

“You are not alone,” Dr Babatunde Osotimehin said on Monday. “UNFPA ensures partnership to support midwifery globally.”

He was interacting with 32 young midwives from 13 countries, including Bangladesh, at the end of a midwifery symposium in Copenhagen.

The midwives unanimously called upon their governments to give them positions “to influence policies affecting care for the women and families” they serve in their respective countries.

In their collective declaration, they also made commitments “to be the champions for sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health and to work reduce cultural, gender and age related barriers to accessing quality services”.

They also highlighted the challenges before them and resolved to overcome them. They acknowledged that they would need “to gain leadership, management and research skills” to fully integrate midwifery into the health system.

Dr Osotimehin, the UNFPA executive director, said midwives do not work in isolation. They work within the health system. “So we have to build a strong health system for them to do the professional work professionally”.

He also asked them to hold governments accountable “to ensure resilient health systems”.

Midwives work at facilities and they are to conduct all the normal deliveries, but will refer would-be-mothers to doctors if complications arise.

They are also capable of taking care of many aspects of women’s and girls’ lives, ranging from sexual and reproductive health to family planning.

The medical journal ‘The Lancet’ defines them as providers of “skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care” for childbearing women, newborn infants and families through the period of pregnancy to the early weeks of a child’s life.

But they are struggling to be recognised in many countries. The Bangladesh government has recently recognised them as a separate profession.

Sandra Rumi Madhu, who teaches midwifery at Brac University, was among the midwives who participated in the symposium.

The UNFPA chief’s words have served as an “inspiration” for her. “We know we have strong global backing. But now we have to have the leadership capabilities to lead,” Madhu told bdnews24.com on the sidelines of the symposium.

Madhu did her BSc in nursing and midwifery from Dhaka Nursing College and later studied masters in public health (MPH).

The government having opened a three-year diploma course in midwifery in 2013, she said, the newly graduated midwives must have “passion” to serve in rural facilities.

But she lamented that the “surrounding environment does not support their work and many young midwives stay at home after getting diplomas as they don’t find inspiration”.

For her part, the UNFPA chief emphasised “sheer determination” of the midwives in doing their work. But he said: “Society values a profession the way professionals practice the profession”.

WHO Assistant Director General Flavia Bustreo, who also spoke at the concluding session, said midwives were also “responsible to uphold high professional standards”.

“Midwives have a role in advocating rights and in raising their voice when those rights are being abused,” she said.