On the occasion of International Day of Midwife, Health and Family Welfare Minister Punjab Dr Balbir Singh on Friday lauded the contributions made by the Midwives in maternal and neonatal care worldwide and underlined their pivotal role in delivering maternal care.
This year’s theme of International Day of Midwife is 'Together again: from evidence to reality’, which is a nod to the upcoming 33rd ICM Triennial Congress, where the global midwife community will come together for the first time in more than five years.
Dr Balbir Singh stressed upon the need to administer maternity care to all pregnant women coming at health care facilities for antenatal check up and delivery in a utmost respectful manner. “It is the right of every woman and her baby to be treated with care, respect and dignity, while maintaining absolute liberty and autonomy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Director Health Services (Family Welfare) Dr Ravinder Pal Kaur released posters honouring the role of midwives in maternal and child care to mark the International Day of Midwife.
She informed that Punjab Government has established National Midwifery Training Institute (NMTI) at Patiala. A Midwifery led antenatal Care unit has been set-up there and the first batch of nine Midwifery Educators are already delivering services, she said, while adding that the process of selecting the second batch of 30 Midwifery Educators is underway.
State Program Officer (MCH) Dr Inderdeep Kaur, who was also present on the occasion, stated that under this program, three more State Midwifery Training Institutions are in pipeline and a process is underway.
Midwifery led care units will be established near the labour room of all these facilities and the first such unit in the state has come up at Mata Kaushalya Hospital in Patiala. Nurse Practitioner in Midwife will provide skilled, maternal, reproductive and newborn child-related health care services in a respectful manner to accomplish the sustainable development goals for maternal and newborns wellbeing.