One Million More Midwives: Zimbabwe Answers the Call as UNFPA and Partners Honour Frontline Heroes to End Preventable Maternal Deaths
- 365healthdiaries
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By Hamu Madzedze
Online Health and Gender Editor Zimbabwe is answering the world’s call for “One Million More Midwives.”
Marking the 2026 International Day of the Midwife at United Bulawayo Hospitals, UNFPA, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), the Embassy of Sweden, and the Zimbabwe Confederation of Midwives (ZICOM) spotlighted a stark reality from the International Confederation of Midwives that midwives deliver 90% of essential sexual and reproductive health and rights services, yet a critical shortage threatens maternal and newborn safety worldwide.
With a 2035 target to close the gap, partners committed to training, fair pay, and tools like the electronic partograph to keep mothers and babies safe.
Commemorated under the global theme, “One Million More Midwives,”this year’s event cast an urgent spotlight on the workforce deficit needed to secure maternal and newborn safety.
The ICM said ensuring safe, high-quality care requires closing a massive global deficit, with a targeted milestone to achieve workforce adequacy by 2035.
Midwives are on the front lines of safe motherhood and newborn health. When well-supported in both development and humanitarian crises, they can deliver 90 percent of essential SRHR services.
In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister Sleiman Kwidini, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the Government of Zimbabwe recognizes that midwives are the bedrock of the maternal and newborn health system.
“We are committed to increasing our investment in training, fair compensation, and retention of midwives, as outlined in our Health Workforce Strategy and Investment Compact,”said Dr Mombeshora. Dr Mombeshora said this commitment is a deliberate, cost-effective strategy to achieve our goal of ending preventable maternal deaths and ensuring safer motherhood for every woman and newborn in Zimbabwe.
The drive for one million more midwives aligns directly with UNFPA’s mandate to achieve three transformative results which are ending preventable maternal deaths, ending the unmet need for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.
Investment in midwives as a key pillar is a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to improve maternal and newborn health and well-being and reduce mortality.
Every $1 invested in midwifery yields up to $16 in social and economic gains.
UNFPA Representative Ms Miranda Tabifor said the UNFPA Midwifery Programme Strategy (2017-2030) underscores the critical need for investing in midwives including strengthening their skills and competencies.
“Through programmes such as the Health Resilience Fund and the Maternal and Newborn Fund, UNFPA continues to support the Ministry of Health and Child "Care with pre-service and in-service midwifery training to ensure the availability of skilled birth attendants and we will continue investing in this area.”said Ms Tabifor.
The Health Resilience Fund is funded by the Governments of Britain, Ireland and Sweden.
The celebrations culminated in the Midwives Recognition Initiative, a joint effort supported by the Embassy of Sweden to honor exemplary midwives. Exceptional midwives selected from all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe received awards for their unwavering dedication to protecting mothers and newborns, often under challenging frontline conditions.
Swedish Ambassador to Zimbabwe HE Per Lingarde said they are honoured to be contributing towards the recognition of the outstanding midwives.
“It is our hope that this small token of appreciation will go a long way in motivating all midwives to continue giving their best" said Ambassador Lingarde.
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.
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