Although India has made significant strides in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, the positive results remain uneven, particularly for women in rural and marginalised communities.Addressing this gap, midwifery-led care is emerging as an evidence-backed, cost- effective solution that holds the key to achieving India’s maternal and newborn health goals.Midwives are highly skilled professionals who provide continuous, personalised care from pregnancy through childbirth and postpartum phase. Global research shows that investing in midwifery could avert up to 83% of maternal and newborn deaths.Evidence-backed outcomesThe role of midwives in improving maternal health isn’t theoretical. It’s visible in real- time across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. These centres have reported a drop in unnecessary C-sections, reduced neonatal admissions, a rise in normal births and greater awareness and engagement in antenatal consultations among moms.These changes are driven by midwives trained to global standards who conduct antenatal assessments, detect early warning signs, and empower women to make informed choices. Their presence in both hospitals and communities is helping shift the narrative around childbirth from fear and uncertainty to trust and continuity.A 2016 study (Filby et al.) showed that midwives integrated into national health systems lead to sustained reductions in maternal and newborn deaths. The State of the World’s Midwifery Report (2014) similarly calls for urgent investment in midwifery education and regulation which are recommendations that Fernandez has been actively implementing for nearly a decade.Apart from this, a strong system for midwifery education, developing India-specific curricula, and training midwives to global standards will go a long way in advocating for respectful maternity care as a human right at both national and international levels.Midwives Can Deliver More Than BabiesThe World Health Organization estimates that over 75% of maternal deaths in India could be prevented with timely access to qualified midwives. Moreover, midwifery can deliver up to 87% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH) services and do so cost-effectively.India’s Midwifery Services Initiative (2018) aims to train Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery (NPMs) to provide respectful, quality, midwife-led continuity of care. This is supported by Fernandez Foundation in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, which is using ICM frameworks for midwifery education and regulation. India is investing in creating Midwife-Led Care Units (MLCUs) at secondary and tertiary public health facilities and equip centres for continuity of care across antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal phases.The training sites in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have shown a reduction in CS rates, neonatal admissions and increase in physiological births. Midwives are offering a detailed antenatal consultation which detects any deviations and increases the awareness of the benefits of midwifery care. The advocacy is also vital in the community, increasing the need for regular antenatal consultations and birth preparationMidwives are not just supportive actors, they are central to changing India’s maternal health landscape. As the country strives to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure Universal Health Coverage (UHC), midwifery must be at the core of its strategy.
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