“All this time MidWifery was just a skill but finally the government has realized the significant contributions of a Midwife and acknowledges it as a profession in the health sector”, answers Shuraiya Begum when the Daily Star inquires, about her point of view on maternal and child mortality rates in relation to the Bangladesh context.

Looking forward to observing 5th May,“International Midwives’ Day” the Registrar of the Bangladesh Nursing Council, sits down to confer about the current status quo of Midwives and the MidWifery programs.

As a Midwife who served in the medical institutions of Saudi Arabia for 10 years herself, Shuraiya Begum explains the difference between nurses and midwives.

She compares nurses to general practitioners stating that every doctor acquires a basic knowledge on the various medical fields before they opt for a specialized degree, similarly every nurse is also required to complete some basic courses related to midwifery and post completion can pursue graduate programs or diplomas that focus solely on the subject of MidWifery, to become one.

At the Bangladesh Nursing Council, experts on the topic of Midwifery and well-known Obstetric Gynecologists are conducting these programs.

“There are 995 students both in government and private institutions who are studying to become Midwives and the first batch of 500 Midwives will be graduating at the end of this year,” says Shuraiya Begum.

The government has arranged for 3 Midwives in every division and 1 in every local union.

Shuraiya Begum feels that the divisions could benefit more by the addition of one more Midwife. Every Midwife must go through a 6 month MidWifery Training in order to stay updated with recent methods and procedures.