More time for midwives

In 2000, the United Nations announced eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG). These goals include the demand for a significant reduction in child and maternal mortality. To achieve this efforts have been made in subsequent years to improve the training and further qualifications of midwives, as well as the general access to becoming a midwife.

Although these ambitious targets were not fully met, the number of midwives increased and global maternal and infant mortality rates dropped by half between 1990 and 2015. Despite significant success, midwifery care remains inadequate in many regions. Approximately 1000 pregnant women and women in labor, and around 7000 newborn babies die daily - 99% of these are from developing countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that nationwide access to qualified midwives could prevent 83% of maternal and child deaths and stillbirths. In addition, according to WHO, if midwives were trained according to international standards, they could provide a large part of pre-and post-natal care, thus greatly contributing to female health.

However, the shortage of qualified midwives is not limited to developing countries. By now, even industrialized nations are affected. In many countries, freelance midwives lack comprehensive pregnancy care, which is highly valued by many women. With much patience, knowledge and experience, they look after women during their pregnancy and often assist during childbirth. Additionally, they care for mothers and their newborns after birth. However  low potential earnings, increasing insurance premiums, an intense workload and bureaucratic paperwork, force many midwives to quit. As a result, their availability can drop and the situation worsens, especially outside cities where pregnant women need long lead times to book a midwife.