Principal Officer of the US Consulate in Lahore Carmela Conraoy has announced the grant of US $11 million for midwifery project in Pakistan. "The US administration is proud to be the part of midwifery project in Pakistan," she said while speaking at the 2nd Midwifery Conference here on Thursday.
The conference was organised by Midwifery Association of Pakistan (MAP) in collaboration with Technical Assistance for Capacity Building in Midwifery, Information and Logistics (TACMIL), a health project of the United States for international development.
Dr Aslam Chowdhry, Director General Health, Punjab said that midwives had struggled for more than half a century to get their profession recognised. They needed a proper platform to make their voice heard, he added. President, MAP Imtiaz Kamal said that the purpose of midwifery project was to train professionals who hold degrees from recognised institutes in Pakistan.
She said that midwives were professionals who advised mothers during their pregnancy and childbirth. Dr Zafarullah Gill, COP TACMIL said, "Midwifery should be considered a distinct profession, which is separate from nursing profession." Professor Farrukh Zaman said that the current scenario of prenatal, childbirth and postnatal care in our society particularly in rural areas was deplorable. According to an estimate, almost 65 percent women prefer delivery at home.
Over the past 10 years, the percentage of women, who have had almost no prenatal care, has increased steadily from 16 percent in 1996 to 28 percent in 2006-07, he added. He said that the government of Pakistan had chosen to promote midwives to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. Talking about the midwifery profession, he said, "Midwives provide social services to the community. We need to develop an understanding and awareness that midwives are trained professionals who take care of pregnant women and can save lives,' he concluded.