Country needs more than 20,000 midwives

It was the start of a usual day at work for Zinkhee Sharma, a midwife at Bandarban's Ruma Upazila Health Complex.

As soon as she entered her workstation on July 31 last year, she was faced with a devastated man. He said he had left his expecting wife in the middle of her delivery on a boat in Sangu river ghat and rushed to the hospital, some 15 minutes away from the spot, to call for help.

"The mother had a three-hour journey by boat. The baby's head could be seen, but she was too tired to complete the process," recalls Zinkhee.

"It was a life-threatening situation for both of them. So my colleague Swamkim Bwon and I rushed to the boat and helped her complete the delivery."

Zinkhee shared her experiences at a seminar organised by Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), the British High Commission and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at a city hotel yesterday.

The seminar was organised to reflect on the progress of midwifery in the country over the past decade.

"The country needs more than 20,000 midwives. The government has devised a plan to create 5,000 new midwifery posts and we hope to carry it out soon," said Siddika Akter, DGNM director general.

Around 2,557 midwives like Zinkhee are deployed in 407 upazila health complexes and perform 87 percent of all deliveries. Midwives like her have helped improve women's access to safe childbirth, especially in rural areas.

A total of 8,646 midwives have completed a three-year diploma course from 60 public and 105 private institutions so far. The diploma was introduced in 2021 by the health ministry.

Besides, around 400 midwives, who graduated from Brac University, have been deployed in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.

Speaking at the event as chief guest, Saiful Hassan Badal, secretary of the medical education and family welfare division at the health ministry, said, "The national midwifery programme has greatly contributed to the reduction of maternal and newborn deaths, as well as caesarean section rates in Bangladesh."

He also said the government has plans to deploy more than 3,000 midwives as soon as possible.

Matt Cannell, development director of the British High Commission in Bangladesh, said the UK is proud to be part of the midwifery programme along with other partners.

The UK government's support has enabled the training of thousands of midwives over the past decade and helped integrate their life-saving services into the national health system, said Eiko Narita, UNFPA country representative.