International Day of the Midwife

More than one in three women in developing countries give birth alone -- or with only relatives to oversee what is one of the most dangerous passages they will ever undergo.

In some of the poorest countries, as few as 13 per cent of all deliveries are assisted by a midwife or a health worker with midwifery skills.

Every day, 1,000 women die and 5,500 newborns die in the first week of life for lack of adequate medical care.
The current global shortage of some 350,000 professional midwives means that women and their newborns die from complications that could have been easily prevented by a health worker with the right skills, the right equipment and the right support. Midwives are the unsung heroes of maternal and newborn health.

To download the report, click here