The Department For International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today signed a grant agreement to produce competent midwives in Bangladesh.
Jane Edmondson, head of DFID Bangladesh, and Argentina Matavel Piccin, UNFPA representative in Bangladesh, signed the agreement at DFID office in Dhaka.
The objective of the five-year programme titled ‘Strengthening the national midwifery programme (SNMP)’ is to improve the quality of midwifery education and create an enabling environment for a midwifery-led care for pregnant women and their babies in Bangladesh.
Through the programme, the UNFPA will work closely with the Directorate of Nursing and contribute to achieving the agreed principles of quality, equity and efficiency of the upcoming 4th health sector programme of the health ministry, says a joint statement by the DFID and UNFPA.
With nearly 6,000 women still dying annually due to preventable pregnancy related causes, the need for skilled midwives in Bangladesh is more important than ever, the joint statement says.
“Skilled care providers, such as the midwives this programme will produce, are essential if quality maternal and newborn care services are to be available to all and the number of women dying is to reduce even more. The UK is therefore committed in its support of the Governments’ efforts to address this issue head on,” said Edmondson.
“By the end of this programme, Bangladesh will have midwives educated and trained to international standards and posted in the areas with greatest needs, where they will provide professional care of the highest quality,” said Piccin.
Source: The Daily Star
