title: International Day of the Midwife "100 Years of Progress" type: News language: English published: 05 May 2022 updated: 09 May 2022 category: Ošetrovateľstvo source: https://www.prohuman.sk/osetrovatelstvo/medzinarodny-den-porodnej-asistentky-100-rokov-pokroku
The Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, as a member of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), which began as the International Midwives Union in Belgium, marks the centenary of the founding of the international organization and cooperation of midwives worldwide under the theme that precisely captures this exceptional anniversary — "100 Years of Progress." On International Day of the Midwife, we commemorate 100 years of cooperation, while also marking 20 years since the founding of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives as the sole self-governing professional organization uniting registered nurses and registered midwives in Slovakia.
Since 2008, when the Global Programme for Midwifery — representing more than 1 million midwives worldwide — was established in partnership with the ICM, UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) has supported the work of midwives in more than 120 countries. Midwives carry out their duties in the face of climate change. They have helped women give birth safely during catastrophic floods at a hospital in Bangladesh, under a bridge after a hurricane in Honduras, and in the ruins of earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Midwives risked their own lives helping expectant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic and Ebola outbreaks. They converted their own homes in Yemen — where only 50% of health facilities are operational — into makeshift delivery rooms, provided care to refugees and migrants, and worked under the threat of militant groups even in war-torn Ukraine.
Although most people picture a midwife as someone who supports a woman during childbirth, midwives do far more. In addition to providing prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care, they offer family planning services and screenings for breast and cervical cancer. When necessary, they can also perform basic emergency obstetric care. Through counselling and information, they can help prevent female genital mutilation, support survivors of gender-based violence, and provide reproductive health services to adolescents.
The 2021 UNFPA, ICM, and World Health Organization report on the state of midwifery worldwide revealed that if governments invested in midwives, up to 4.3 million lives could be saved annually by 2035 — a figure encompassing maternal, neonatal, and stillbirth deaths. This predominantly female group of health workers could meet 90% of reproductive health needs and prevent 65% of maternal and neonatal deaths. Despite this, the world faces a global shortage of 900,000 midwives, and Slovakia is no exception. In Slovakia we have only 1,910 midwives, and their numbers — like those of nurses — are declining rapidly.
The contribution of midwives to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 — namely reducing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and universal health coverage — cannot be underestimated. Midwives have been strengthening primary healthcare systems for decades and will play a critical role in the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents in the decades to come.
Source: Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives The Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (SK SaPA) is a self-governing professional organization with nationwide reach, headquartered in Bratislava, uniting 38,000 nurses and midwives. The primary mission of SK SaPA is to advocate for the professional, economic, and social interests of its members in healthcare, social, educational, and other facilities.