As the world marked International Day of the Midwife on Monday, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) issued a compelling call for greater investment in midwives, particularly in crisis settings.
Under the global theme “Midwives: Critical in Every Crisis,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem hailed midwives as “health workers, humanitarians, and heroes” who often serve as the first—and sometimes only—line of defence in times of disaster.
Kanem stressed that women in humanitarian crises are twice as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth, underscoring the critical role of midwives in saving lives under the most perilous conditions.
“Deploying midwives in humanitarian and national disaster responses is not only life-saving, but also a cost-effective strategy to reduce preventable maternal deaths,” she said.
According to Kanem, midwives are capable of delivering 90 percent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services, including family planning. They also provide vital support to survivors of gender-based violence, an issue that worsens during crises.
Despite their central role, midwifery remains an undervalued profession. Kanem cited chronic underinvestment, inadequate training, insufficient infrastructure and supplies, and low salaries as major challenges facing the profession globally.
On this year’s International Day of the Midwife, UNFPA urged governments and donors to support the Midwifery Accelerator initiative, which seeks to significantly boost investment in midwives and the systems that sustain them.
“Midwives save lives,” Kanem declared, calling for collective action to close the global shortfall of nearly one million midwives and eliminate preventable maternal deaths.
In Lesotho, national commemorations will be held today at Nazareth Health Centre in Maseru, led by the Independent Midwives Association of Lesotho in collaboration with key partners. The event will feature a healthy fun walk, speeches from dignitaries and community members, and an award ceremony recognising outstanding midwives.
This event underscores the global recognition of midwives’ critical role, particularly in times of crisis.
UNFPA has indicated that its work in Lesotho, focused on strengthening midwifery education to reduce the country’s high maternal mortality ratio of 530 deaths per 100,000 live births, further exemplifies the agency’s commitment to ensuring safer pregnancies and childbirth for all women, even amidst global crises.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
