Access to midwives can prevent maternal deaths
Midwives are the gatekeepers of maternal and newborn healthcare system, and majority of Bangladesh's maternal deaths could be prevented if pregnant women had access to skilled birth attendants during childbirth, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.
They said safety of new mothers and their babies largely depends on availability of midwives, as they are the first trained personnel to tend to pregnant women.
The roundtable titled "Midwifery-led Maternal Health" was organised by The Daily Star and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at the daily's office in the capital.
"Nearly 58 percent childbirths take place without skilled birth attendant often leading to many preventable complications. Deploying midwives across the country and ensuring that childbirths take place in healthcare facilities can reduce the risks," said UNFPA's maternal health specialist Dr Shamina Sharmin while presenting the keynote paper.
Citing a UN estimate, she said a majority of Bangladesh's 5,200 annual maternal deaths are caused by these preventable complications.
Zahid Maleque, state minister for health, said the government, realising the importance of midwifery, approved 3,000 posts for midwives across the country.
He further said that over 525 midwives would be graduating from nursing institutions by the end of this year.
The state minister regretted that the health sector gets a meagre allocation in the national budget. "But we are achieving a lot with our small resources," he said.
UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Argentina Matavel Piccin hailed the government's commitment for reducing maternal mortality.
She appreciated that 31 nursing intuitions and colleges are offering three-year diploma on midwifery.
However, issues like quality of education, creating demand for midwives in communities and promoting midwifery services need attention, she said.
She said as a large number of childbirths take place at homes, the demand for midwives should be created through promoting them as a brand and also creating awareness on the importance of having skilled birth attendants during delivery.
UNFPA consultant DR Syed Abu Jafar Md Musa pointed out that there is no system of accredition to maintain the standard of midwifery education in the country.
The quality of education cannot be controlled without an accreditation authority in place, he said.
He emphasised that an estimation of the number of midwives required would be needed in coming years, and a plan on where the newly appointed midwives should be deployed must be formulated without any delay.
Monica Fong, technical officer for human resources at World Health Organization, said a mechanism for evaluating the midwifery graduates needs to be set up.
"The curriculums of midwifery are of international standard. But a way to evaluate the learning of midwives is still absent," she said.
She further said that women in general should be empowered to demand access to healthcare facilities during pregnancy and delivery.
Prof Dr Md Habibe Millat, MP, Goutam Aich Sarker, joint secretary to the health ministry, Dr Momena Khatun, senior health adviser of DFATD-Canada, and Prof Ferdousi Islam of Dhaka Medical College, spoke at the programme moderated by Piccin and Shahnoor Wahid, special supplements editor at The Daily Star.
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