Midwives, heroes at the grassroots level

MIDWIVES are playing a key role in providing mater­nal care to pregnant women and mothers of babies to improve their health conditions so as to overcome challenges of giving birth, as well as some problems of prenatal hardships.

Midwives, mostly female health personnel, give maternal care to women. Their professional care with patience and compassion for the patients helps improve the health standard of the people. Their salaries and income may be low, and their educational qualifications may not be high. However, the care and compassion they show in providing healthcare services to pregnant women and maternity patients are admirable, commendable and wor­thy of respect. They may or may not possess physical beauty, but the purity of their attitude toward patients, together with the healthcare they provide through their professional skills and knowledge, is itself their true beauty.

Simply knowing that the mothers and babies they helped deliver are living in good health is itself a source of joy and fulfilment for ma­ternity healthcare workers. They would not exchange that joy for anything else. That very sense of fulfilment is their priceless reward. It is also their goal — the goal they strive toward and fulfil every single day. So, those midwives are honoured by designating 5 May every year as the Inter­national Day of the Midwife. It has been celebrated since 1992 in order to raise aware­ness about the midwifery profession.

This year’s campaign for the International Day of the Midwife highlights the urgent need for a million more mid­wives globally to ensure safe, respectful care for families in line with its theme “One Million More Midwives”. The World Health Organization stated that such an international day provides a global platform to highlight the essential role of midwives in advancing quality, respectful, and equitable maternity care.

As of 2026, the Ministry of Health of Myanmar has produced over 86,000 nursing and midwifery diploma holders since 1962 to support the national 30-Year Health Vision, particularly in rural and border areas. The ministry manages operational activities of 26 midwivery training schools and nursing and midwivery schools to turn out midwives as a reliable force for maternal healthcare services for women.

In truth, midwives and maternity healthcare workers, who compassionately care for and assist women undergoing child­birth — a process closely tied to life-threatening risks — are the ones who help new human lives begin their journey in this world. Whether or not their efforts are recognized by patients and the public, they continue to faithfully fulfil their duties and responsibilities.