Midwives deliver essential sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services across the world, but there are far too few of them. One million more of these crucial health workers would transform healthcare – and survival – for women and babies everywhere.
Midwives not only ensure safe pregnancies and save lives, but also reduce unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and unnecessary Caesarean sections, leading to healthier communities and societies. In times of crisis, they are often the first responders providing care to pregnant women and newborns, reaching them in the most dangerous or remote areas.
Yet a lack of investment, as well as discrimination and gender barriers, are sidelining and undermining the largely female midwifery workforce, excluding them from decision-making and leadership roles.
Investing in 1 million more midwives offers the single most effective way to save the lives of mothers and their newborns by extending access to antenatal care, safe childbirth and postnatal support. One million more midwives would also make health systems more cost-effective and resilient. Midwifery should be fully protected in healthcare budgets, nationally and globally.
As we mark the International Day of the Midwife, it’s time for midwives to move from the margins to the centre of health systems.
