culture

May 5 is International Day of the Midwife.

On the occasion of the IDM, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) emphasizes the role of midwives in ensuring maternal and newborn health, and encourages all governments to take measures to help midwives work hard with pride in and responsibility for their job by correctly estimating the situation of midwives, strengthening their midwifery workforce, training them qualitatively and attaching importance to them in society.

The ICM has selected the theme for this year’s IDM as “Together again: from evidence to reality”.

In conformity with this theme by ICM, UNFPA set this specific theme: “Actioning Evidence: Leading the Way to Enhance Quality Midwifery Care Globally”.

Now, every two minutes a woman dies due to pregnancy or childbirth in the world.

The role of midwives is essential in reducing maternal and newborn death and ensuring their health.

But the issue of midwives seriously arises in many developing countries. Due to inefficient skill mix, inequitable distribution, varying levels and quality of education and training programmes, limited qualified educators (including for supervision and mentoring) and limited effective regulation, the performance of the plan to decline maternal and newborn death rates is mostly in the doldrums.

According to data published by the ICM, the global SRMNAH (Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health) care currently needs 1.1 million health workers, and the largest shortage (900,000) is of midwives and the wider midwifery workforce.

Celebrating IDM this year, the ICM and UNFPA calls on all governments to solve the shortage of midwives, train them qualitatively, respect and treat them preferentially in society and strengthen social support to and cooperation with them. 

Special attention is being directed to health of women and newborns in the DPRK in which the universal and complete free medical care system has been introduced.

Maternity hospitals have been built in Pyongyang and the provinces and obstetrics and gynecology departments set up in hospitals in counties and ris to take responsible care of the health of pregnant women and their delivery, and it is guaranteed by law.

Constant efforts have been made to ensure that midwives continuously improve obstetrics with warm love for humanity and the spirit of devotedly serving them.