You are here

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Zambia is pleased to join the Government, partners and the people of Zambia in hosting the first ever Midwifery Indaba in Zambia.

Zambia has recorded significant progress in reducing maternal mortality rates, from 726 per 100,000 live births in 2002 to 398 per 100,000 live births in 2014. Ensuring that skilled midwifery personnel are available has been critical for this achievement. Current national data indicates that Zambia has increased the number of births assisted by a skilled attendant from 50% in 1992 to 64% in 2014. If deployed in larger numbers, trained midwives could avert approximately two thirds of these deaths.

However, more needs to be done to sustain these gains. That is why the United Nations Population Fund in Zambia is committed to sustaining its partnership with the Government, other national and international partners to address challenges related to midwifery workforce within a supportive health system. This includes the development of a Bachelor of Science Midwifery Curriculum to improve the quality and skills within the national midwifery workforce;  review of existing midwifery curricula to ensure consistency with international standards; sponsoring the education and training of midwives including providing educational materials, supplies and equipment; building the capacity of the Midwives Association of Zambia; and recruiting retired midwives to provide services in rural and most under-served areas.

Such efforts will deliver on women’s rights to health and ensure that women and newborn infants obtain the care they need and contribute to the global and national shared vision of ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths by 2030.