FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 8 May 2023 - To commemorate the International Day of the Midwife on 5 May 2023, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joined the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and other partners in convening a series of events to celebrate the contribution of midwives to saving lives of women and new born babies.

Midwives in Sierra Leone play a critical role in the health sector and have contributed to a significant reduction of maternal mortality in the country. According to recent UN estimates, Sierra Leone’s maternal mortality rate was reduced by 74 per cent between 2000 and 2020, falling from 1,682 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 443 per 100,000 live birth in 2020.

Sierra Leone has also notably increased the number of trained midwives in the country, from less than 100 in 2010 to approximately 1,579 in 2023. Despite this impressive progress, Sierra Leone continues to face a shortage of midwives with a ratio of 2 midwives per 10,000 people, lagging behind the global target of 4 midwives for every 10,000 people.

In her statement on the International Day of the Midwife 2023, the UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem highlighted that in a world that sees a woman die every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth, universal access to skilled midwives is one of the most important ways to avert preventable maternal and newborn deaths. She emphasized that “if every pregnant woman had access to a well-trained, caring midwife, we would be much closer to a world where every childbirth is safe.”

In advance of this year’s commemoration, UNFPA partnered with the Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery Services in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the Sierra Leone Midwives’ Association to convene a week-long series of events. This included organizing a dialogue on the State of Midwifery in Sierra Leone, and conducting outreach programmes in two secondary schools to increase knowledge on midwifery and encourage young people to pursue careers in midwifery. Commemoration activities were held in Bo, Freetown and Makeni, culminating with an event to honour and recognize 60 midwives for their outstanding leadership and services on 5 May.

The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, paid tribute to midwives for their outstanding role in saving lives and assured them of government’s commitment to support the country’s midwifery programme. “On behalf of the President and the people of Sierra Leone, I want to say thank you to all the midwives for what you are doing for this country. I also want you to take a moment to know how important your work is,” Minister Demby said at the event organised by the Sierra Leone Midwives’ Association and partners, recognising 60 midwives for their outstanding leadership and services to the country.

The UNFPA Country Representative, Ms. Nadia Rasheed, underscored that midwives are central to the achievement of UNFPA’s mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted and every childbirth is safe. She highlighted that since 2010, nearly 1,800 midwives have been successfully trained in Sierra Leone with support from UNFPA and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

“On the International Day of the Midwife, UNFPA celebrates the incredible contribution of midwives to ending preventable maternal death and providing quality essential sexual and reproductive health care.  We look forward to continuing to support national efforts and partnerships to close the midwifery gap and ensure that every woman has access to life saving healthcare,” added Ms. Rasheed.

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About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for urgent action to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights for all, and accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

Media Contacts:
John Baimba Sesay | Web and Media Analyst | UNFPA Sierra Leone |  jsesay@unfpa.org