Bangladesh has announced a plan to create and deploy 25,000 midwives across its public health system by 2030, in what officials described as the country’s largest investment in its midwifery workforce.
The commitment was announced on Sunday by Dr S M Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant on health affairs to the prime minister, at the 34th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) in Lisbon.
At the opening ceremony of the Congress, UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita highlighted Bangladesh’s progress in strengthening its midwifery cadre, describing it as one of a group of countries advancing the global midwifery agenda.
“Bangladesh is showing the world that investing in midwives is investing in survival,” she said, adding that the commitment sends a “powerful message” that maternal mortality is preventable.
According to UNFPA, about 4,000 women still die each year in Bangladesh from largely preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The country has reduced its maternal mortality ratio from 574 deaths per 100,000 live births in the mid-1980s to 136 at present. However, around 30 percent of births still take place at home, while only 2,557 midwives currently serve more than 6,200 public health facilities.
UNFPA said midwives can deliver up to 90 percent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services, prevent up to two-thirds of maternal and newborn deaths, and generate up to US$16 in returns for every US$1 invested.
Speaking in Lisbon, Dr Hyder said the initiative reflects Bangladesh’s shift towards a prevention-focused health system aimed at ensuring safe childbirth and early child health.
“When we empower midwives, we empower women. When we empower women, we strengthen families. And when we strengthen families, we build stronger nations,” he said.
UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Catherine Breen Kamkong welcomed the announcement, saying it would “change what childbirth means for millions of families.”
The deployment will be phased over the next four years, prioritising primary healthcare facilities where need is greatest. UNFPA said the expansion would help move Bangladesh closer to the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.