Supporting Midwives in lifting communities

Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands Campaign (MVMD)

Group-115965
Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands Campaign (MVMD)

Key Wins:

  • In collaboration with key stakeholders including the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (M/o NHSR&C), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), Midwifery Association of Pakistan (MAP), and Health Services Academy (HSA), the Forum leveraged insights from the MVMD campaign to drive significant initiatives. As a result, the Forum catalyzed the development and implementation of the National Vision and Strategic Framework for the Practice of Midwifery in Pakistan. A noteworthy outcome of our advocacy efforts was the establishment of the first-ever four-year BS Midwifery Program by the Health Services Academy. This milestone ensures standardization, quality, and professionalization in midwifery education, ultimately enhancing the standards of care within the Mother, Newborn, Child Health (MNCH) domain.

Project Duration:

2021-2022

Project Brief:

Each year, around 300,000 women and girls succumb to complications during pregnancy and childbirth, with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) noting that 82% of these fatalities could be averted through widespread access to midwives. Despite their pivotal role, midwives account for less than 10% of the global workforce in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH), and healthcare systems worldwide often fail to prioritize their recruitment, education, training, compensation, and support. Despite initiatives like the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of 2020 as the “Year of the Midwife,” substantive change remains elusive, prompting a critical reassessment of the current system.

Expanding upon the successes of the What Women Want Campaign, White Ribbon Alliance, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), launched the innovative “Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demand” (MVMD) initiative. MVMD aimed to spotlight the challenges faced by midwives in delivering high-quality care to women and infants while giving them a platform to shape the agenda, rather than dictating predefined priorities or choices. This global campaign, which prioritized the voices of midwives, engaged approximately 56,000 midwives across 101 countries, including Pakistan, where the Forum-White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan Chapter mobilized the demands of 6,145 midwives from 14 districts. By asking a simple yet profound open-ended question—”What do you want most in your role as a midwife?”—and adopting an Ask-Listen-Act approach, the Forum actively sought input from midwives, facilitated discussions with district-level stakeholders, and advocated for their demands to reach policymakers. The culmination of these efforts resulted in the compilation of all demands into an online dashboard, providing evidence for policymakers and stakeholders to address midwives’ needs effectively and ensure the provision of quality healthcare services, particularly in remote areas of Pakistan. Among their top demands were the need for more and better supported personnel, supplies and functional facilities, professional development opportunities, improve gender norms and policies, health services and respect and dignity.

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