WE THE PEOPLE
Celebration of "International Midwives' Day" highlights importance of Midwives but identifies their acute shortage
Hence People call upon Govt., to Broaden Scope of Midwifery to meet their growing demand in J&K
By: Mirror News Service
Srinagar: The "International Midwives' Day" was first celebrated on May 5, 1991, and has since been observed in number of countries around the world. The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands. A midwife is a person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth. Also called regionally granny or granny woman.
In many parts of developed world, using a midwife has been common practice for a long time, while in the rest of the world; a midwife is much more likely to be by your side during birth than a doctor, especially if you live in a backward area.
Pertinently, Midwifery is one of the oldest known medical professions to mankind, and it is also among one of the very few professions that is dominated by women. While childbirth became increasingly regulated by physicians and hospitals during the nineteenth and twentieth century's, the use of midwives during pregnancy and childbirth is slowly increasing in popularity.
In the State of Jammu &Kashmir, Currently there is a dire shortage of midwives and much needs to done to broaden the scope of this all important field.According to recent estimates, there are just 400 odd midwives in the state, while they are required in thousands. The role of Midwives has assumed much more importance in the light of a recent survey released by the state Government. As per the survey report in the state of Jammu &Kashmir institutional deliveries are just 54 per cent in case of pregnant women, which is disturbing as it is quiet a low rate. This grim facet makes the role of the midwives all the more important in the state of Jammu& Kashmir.
The commoners and experts are calling upon all the stakeholders to broaden the scope of midwifery in the state so as to revolutionize the maternal health of the state. Niyaz Ahmad, a health activist said, "Many midwives around the world celebrate the 'International Day of the Midwife' May 5th each year. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) established the idea of the 'International Day of the Midwife' following suggestions and discussion among member associations in the late 1980s, then launched the initiative formally in 1992. The aim of the Day is to celebrate midwifery and to bring awareness of the importance of midwives' work to as many people as possible. This is done in many different ways according to what works the best in each country. We should immediately meet the dire shortage of midwives in our state and should take every possible step to broaden the scope of midwifery in our state. Once we have trained and skilled midwives we can not only improve the overall dynamics related to maternal health in our state, but save a number of precious lives".
Kaiser Ahmad, a student has interesting observations to make on the eve of "International Midwives Day", while talking to "Mirror of Kashmir", Kaiser said: "In the developed world, especially the western countries "Midwives" believe in allowing women to make informed decisions regarding their pregnancies. They feel that births do not have to take place in a hospital. They also believe that the entire family should be involved in a pregnancy rather than just the pregnant woman and her health care provider. Midwives look to support a pregnant woman throughout her pregnancy and provide her with information so that she can decide what is best for her for a smooth pregnancy. On the same parlance, it is very sad to note that this important institution related to maternal health has been by and large ignored in the state of Jammu& Kashmir".
On the other side of the spectrum, experts also point out that the common misconception held by some women that a midwife cannot take care of them as well as a doctor is not true. As according to these experts, voices even the World Health Organization have from time to time recognized the importance of midwives, noting that women who give birth with a midwife often have shorter labor times and usually don't need as much medication as required in the other cases.
Taking all the pros and cons into consideration, the realities of contemporary times call upon the State Government and all the connected stakeholders' to broaden and revitalize the profession of midwifery in the state of Jammu &Kashmir, so as to usher an improved and proficient maternal health care in the state of Jammu &Kashmir.
More 
