Need for more midwives

Safe motherhood is something that helps women receive the care they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth. It is not a privilege but a right of every woman. According to the UN and WHO, every day around 800 women give up their life in the process of giving a new life. We can be proud of the remarkable progress made on the maternal health front in Bangladesh. Despite the fact, every year some 10,000 women reportedly die here due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related causes.
Midwives play a crucial role in the health and well-being of mothers and their new-born. Their role is even more important in a country like Bangladesh where it is estimated that around 400 births take place every hour. They have helped improve women's access to safe childbirth, especially in rural areas. Around 3,000 midwives are reportedly deployed in upazila health complexes across the country. Although trained midwives have greatly contributed to the reduction of maternal and new-born deaths, their number is still too inadequate to cover the entire country. We hope the authorities concerned will look into the issue sincerely and engage more midwives particularly in remote rural areas.

Afroza Sheikh,
Dania, Dhaka,
ilcbd2008@gmail.com