By Sola Ogundipe

Wife of the Nigerian   Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki, and former President of Tanzania, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, have called for urgent global policy reform to address the global state of midwifery and recognition of the important role of midwives in maternal, newborn and child health.

They spoke  last week in Toronto, Canada, at a high-level forum of government representatives, heads of agencies and global advocates, hosted by the International Confederation of Midwives, ICM, as part of their 31st Triennial Congress.

According to Saraki, who is Goodwill Ambassador for the ICM, and Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, WBFA: “The impact of skilled and educated midwifery is all around us. Still, the global shortage of midwives amounts to 350,000 and the gap between those who have access to the life-saving care midwives provide and those who do not is enormous.

“This needs to change immediately with the provision of increased funding, education and regulation that supports midwives, no matter where they are. ”

Toyin Saraki

Also speaking,  Kikwete, who is the first African leader to answer the forum’s call to action. said: “The statistics we have are frightening, saddening and surprising. They are frightening because the number of mothers and children dying are huge. “They are saddening because no mother is supposed to die for giving life to another human being. Also, that pregnancy and childbirth should be moments of celebration and not moments of grief.”

CEO of the ICM, Mrs. Sally Pairman said: “Our organization represents more than 500,000 midwives in 113 countries who wake up every day and perform their life-saving role with so much dedication and passion despite the lack of support and recognition they receive. For their sake, and the sake of millions worldwide, it is time we changed that.”

The high-level forum also heard from a rich selection of government representatives, experts and organizations in the field of midwifery and global health. Skilled and educated midwives can provide 87 per cnet of essential healthcare needed during pregnancy and following birth – even in low resource settings.